Emmanuel Giniki of Tanzania crosses the finish line to win the 2017 Kili Half Marathon in Moshi on Sunday. PHOTO | SULEIMAN JONGO
What you need to know:
Mtaka, who is also Simiyu Regional Commissioner, said yesterday that poor preparations was one of the major factors behind Tanzanian athletes’ failure to shine in international championships.
Dar es Salaam. Local runners must undergo adequate preparations if they are to outshine Kenyans in next year’s Kilimanjaro Marathon, says Athletics Tanzania (AT) president Anthony Mtaka.
Mtaka, who is also Simiyu Regional Commissioner, said yesterday that poor preparations was one of the major factors behind Tanzanian athletes’ failure to shine in international championships.
His statement comes at a time when heartbroken fans are striving to come to terms with local runners’ dismal showing at this year’s Kilimanjaro Marathon in Moshi on Sunday.
Kenyan runners, once again, dominated the annual event, scooping top honours in both men’s and women’s full marathon.
The AT boss said the Tanzanians would have done better if they had better preparations.
“Our runners should know that success in international competitions is always the outcome of adequate preparations,” Mtaka said.
“The competition was tough but we are not happy that the foreigners won top ten positions in both women’s and men’s full marathon. The Kenyans had serious preparations for this event,” he added.
According to him, Tanzania is endowed with talented athletes who only need training and exposure to hit the limelight and do Tanzanians proud in major international competitions. “There are many gifted runners out there who only need proper preparations and exposure to excel internationally,” he insisted.
He also hailed organisers and sponsors of the race, saying staging the event was one of the best ways to turn around the country’s athletics fortunes.
Tanzania’s long distance runner Emmanuel Giniki is the only local athlete who performed impressively at the race.
The 28-year-old runner won the men’s half marathon, which was, however, also dominated by Kenyans.
Giniki, a member of Shahanga Club in Manyara Region, clocked 1:03:49 in the closely-contested race.
Over 7, 000 runners from more than 40 countries across the world competed in this year’s Kili Marathon.
The second to tenth positions in the 21km race went to Kenyans, with George Njoroge and Alaxander Munyao finishing second and third respectively.
“I am very happy, it was a tough race. It is not easy to beat Kenyans in marathon,” the excited Giniki said shortly after the race.
In the women’s half marathon, Kenyans were simply too strong for the hosts. Grace Kimanzi led her compatriots to a clean sweep of top three positions.
