NOVEMBER 23, 20 DAILY PAGE 5 ATHLETICS & CRICKET Youth and A Kenyan sweep on the track batting key AFRICAN RUNNERS-FOR-HIRE CLAIM ALL THREE MEDALS IN 5,000M for China — An athlete from Bahrain won the men’s 5,000 GUANGZHOU — China needs meters at the with to tempt a generation of school runners from taking silver children away from basketball and bronze. and soccer if it is to build a cricket Or, looked at another way, it legacy in the country, Pakistan’s was a Kenyan sweep. coach said on Monday. Mahboob Ali China was brushed aside by came home ahead its mighty rival in of James Kwalia the Asian Games and Felix Kibore CRICKET quarterfi nals by 128 ATHLETICS to take gold. runs, prompting Pakistan coach Meanwhile, Ethiopian-born Mohammad Sadique to lay out a Shitaya Habtegebrel, running for roadmap on how to expand the Bahrain, was third in the women’s sport’s frontiers here. 10,000m, wrapping herself in the “Th ey have a lot to learn,” said fl ag to receive her medal. Sadique aft er seeing skipper Kha- One arresting statistic from lid Latif make an unbeaten 103 in a the 2006 Asiad in was that total of 183-1 off 20 overs. Kenyan-born runners won the “Th ey have to work on their bat- men’s 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m, ting, that is the most diffi cult thing 10,000m, 3,000m steeplechase in cricket. and marathon events. “They also need to introduce Apart from a bronze in the cricket in schools in China so that marathon, and two minor medals the young generation can come in the 800m, all the male podium up and learn the sport. Th is way fi nishers were African. China can improve in five to 10 Even in the sprint events the years’ time.” Africans are making their mark, with two Nigerian-born run- ners racing for Qatar — Samuel Francis in the 100m and Femi Ogunode in the 400m. Francis spends about three months a year in Qatar. He also trains in a range of other coun- tries such as the United States and Poland. When asked how it feels to appear for Qatar, he said: “I’m still AGENCE -PRESSE who I am. It feels very natural.” Khalid Latif plays a shot against He said he is well looked aft er China during their cricket quarterfi nal match. by the sporting authorities in Qatar and does not spend much Sadique also believes the pitch time in Nigeria. “I just go to visit being used for the games at the my parents.” Guanggong Cricket Stadium is Ogunode said he spends too slow. about five or six months a year “Th e pitch is too soft . It’s not hard in Qatar. enough, so it’s more suitable for However, it is in the longer- spinners. Th e Chinese team needs distance events that the hired PHILIPPE LOPEZ / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE a better and harder pitch.” help from Africa really make Mahboob ali Hasan Mahboob of Bahrain leads Qatar’s James Kwalia and Felix Kibore as he heads to the China’s manager Zhong Guowei their mark. fi nish line to claim gold in the men’s 5,000m fi nal at the 16th Asian Games on Sunday. has also set a five-year improve- -based Kibore, who ment target and believes the squad switched to Qatar in 2007, trains at Kwalia, who switched to Qatar pay, win bonuses and expenses in the women’s 100m hurdles. is slowly making progress. high-altitude in his homeland and in 2004, said he spends “not more paid beyond the realms of what Fofanah, now running for “Pakistan won the toss and let explains that Qatar is also very hot. than one month a year” in Qatar, they could earn at home. Bahrain, was, incredibly, the fl ag us bowl fi rst because it wanted to He said he likes to run for Qatar instead basing himself in Kenya “You have to look for where bearer for the Guinea team at the practise and prepare for its next and hoped the country would be and Europe. you can be looked aft er,” Kwalia 2008 Olympics. game,” said Zhong. successful in Guangzhou. For the runners themselves, said, adding that facilities in his For the men there is middle- “Th ere are four levels of cricket Silver medalist Kwalia, who the benefi ts of appearing under homeland are not as good as in distance runner Belal Mansoor — A, B, C and D. We are at C. But won the 5,000m at the 2006 Asian the fl ag of a borrowed nationality Qatar. Ali, formerly known as Kenyan I think we can compete with teams Games in Doha, said the three can be many. But he insisted: “I didn’t run John Yego, Tareq Mubarak like Pakistan in fi ve years.” Kenyans knew what to expect Oft en competition for places in away from representing Kenya.” Taher (Denis Kipkurui Keter) Zhong said a full assessment of from one another tactically. their home countries is so strong Other medal hopefuls among in the 3,000m steeplechase and the team’s performance at the Asian “I know them and they know that they might never appear the women are the African-born Khalid Kamal Yaseen (Peter Games would be completed soon, me also,” he said. “We are Kenyans internationally. Mimi Belete and Ndegwa) in the marathon. along with a development plan. representing other countries.” Th ere is also the lure of better Regasa, along with Fatima Fofanah AGENCE FRANCEPRESSE AGENCE FRANCEPRESSE