Veteran Athletics Coach Opens Up on Why Kenyan Men Have Fallen Behind Women

In recent years, there has been an outcry over the low number of medals won by Kenyan male athletes at Olympics and World Championships with women outshining them.

At the 2023 World Championships, 2024 Olympics and the recently-concluded 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Kenyan women have been saving the day when it comes to winning medals.

In Tokyo, Kenya won 11 medals but just three came from men and from the seven gold they managed, just one was won by a man, being Olympics champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi.

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That has raised questions over what has happened to male athletes given in the past, it was the men delivering the bulk of medals, as Kenya dominated middle and long distance races at major championships.

However, veteran athletes coach Julius Kirwa, who has been part of the national team setup for decades, says Kenya has lost out because male athletes are now opting for road races, which pay better, leaving women to do the business for the country.

“What business does a 20, 21-year-old have to do running road races?” Kirwa posed during an interview with Telecomasia on why Kenyan men are missing on the podium.

“This has become our biggest problem because we now have too many athletes going to the road at a very young age, and lack progression. It is very difficult for an athlete to compete well at the track after going to the road.

“We are trying to address this problem with the federation [Athletics Kenya] and we are talking to young athletes from the grassroots, just to ensure they understand the progression of going to the road. It is happening mostly among our male athletes.”

Kirwa, who was feted by the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya as the best coach in September after guiding Team Kenya to the impressive performance in Tokyo, feels there is still a huge potential in the men only if they can be convinced that the track is as lucrative as the road.

Four-time world champion Faith Kipyegon also urged her male counterparts to pull up their socks last week but it looks like the challenge is bigger.