National pride as Simbu, Geay gear for Olympics

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s long distance runners, Alphonce Simbu and Gabriel Geay, tomorrow compete in the Olympic Games in Japan.

Simbu and Geay will feature in a marathon in the City of Sapporo, where 110 runners from 40 nations will also compete for the top three honours.

The two runners will be seeking to break records set by Filbert Bayi and Suleiman Nyambui in the Moscow edition of the Games in 1980.

Bayi won a silver medal in the 3000m steeplechase while Nyambui also won a silver medal in the 5000m race.

Since then, Tanzania is yet to win medals in the Olympic Games, making a total of 41 years.

The two runners had been in camp for a couple of months, gearing up for the event in which they are now ready to compete.

As per records, Geay is among the top ranked runners in the event and is placed fourth among 110 runners who scored high in qualifying races.

Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge is placed at the top with a 2.01.39 record. Kipchoge is the World Record holder and as well leads on the African continent in the men’s category.

Records show that Geay clocked 2:04:55 in Rome, Italy, and needs to stretch the muscles as he will compete against holders of higher marks.

Apart from Kipchoge, Turkish runner Kaan Kigen Ozbilen is placed second with a 2.04.16 record and Bahrain’s El Hassan El Abbassi is third with a 2.4.43 record.

The list also has Khalid Khannouchi of the United States, who recorded 2.05.38, Ronaldo da Costa of Brazil is leading South America with a 2.06.05 record and Australian runner Robert de Castella is leading Oceania.

For his part, Simbu is in top 20 runners with a 2:08.27 record.

Simbu, who competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men’s marathon and finished fifth with a time of 2:11.15, also won a bronze medal for the country in the men’s marathon at the IAAF 2017.

In the women’s category, Failuna Matanga will have to struggle to beat top runners.

The world rankings have been topped all years by Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei, Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter and another Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich. The Tokyo marathon race will be run over a course that starts with two laps around Odori Park.

The route then includes a large loop (about half the marathon’s length) through the streets of Sapporo, passing by Nakajima Park, Sapporo TV Tower, and Hokkaido University, and crossing the Toyohira River twice.

The course then takes two trips around a smaller (approximately 10 kilometres) section of the large loop. The finish line is back at Odori Park.

Speaking to this newspaper yesterday from Japan, the team’s coach, Thomas Tlanka, said the two runners are ready for the race and he believes they will not let down Tanzanians.

“I believe in the runners to shine and promote the country across its borders. Let’s pray for them to compete and do their best,” said Tlanka.

Tanzania competed in the Olympic Games for the first time in 1964, and has its athletes featured in every Summer Olympic Games since then, except for the boycotted 1976 Games.

The nation has never competed in the Winter Olympic Games.