Pamela Jelimo – A new track star is born

Pamela Chelimo seen here after winning the 800 in the African championships in Addis Ababa. Picture: Standard newspaper

Pamela Jelimo, 18, picked up running just 3 months ago has just ran a stunning 1:54:99 in the 800 metres at the Berlin Golden League track meet today (see video below). This is the fastest time in this event in more than a decade and the fifth fastest time overall.

She is getting a lot of attention. We wish her the best and hope that she is able to get really knowledgeable people around her to help her manage her career. Athletic Kenya is definitely NOT IT. Unscrupulous foreign coaches are definitely NOT IT. Paul Ereng threw out a word of caution but I think he was being too modest.

Athletics Kenya is the old KAAA (Kenya Amateur Athletic Association) or “Kenya 3 As” as we used to call it and it has a history of bungling many athletes’ career progression. As soon as a star such as Chelimo comes to the scene, Athletics Kenya jumps in and as Mr Ereng has clearly explained in his article, can destroy an athlete’s career because to earn money an athlete must compete in several circuits under the jurisdiction of AK and therefore subjecting athletes to under-handed treatment by corrupt officials.

Some circuits are certified by the IAAF, some are not. A good manager can help an athlete navigate this maze and advise on which races they must run in and which ones do not matter. A lot of the races under the IAAF have complex rules and not following the rules can mean lost earnings, disqualification from the national team and lowered rankings .

For example, athletes must participate in races at home to be able to qualify for important meets up to and including the olympics and the world championships. But these races at home do not pay as well as the races in the European, Asian and American circuits. Conflicts often arise when a body like the AK tries to manage an athlete and uses their power of including or excluding an athlete as a consequence by creating unrealistic schedules.

An example is when Moses Tanui was dropped from the mens’ marathon team for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia for what the-then Secretary-General, David Okeyo termed “complacency”. Tanui was at the top of his craft at that time. He was a well known (and much appreciated) passionate critic of the KAAA in athletic circles back then.

Another example is Tegla Loroupe in the 2001 World championships. She was busy in the British Grand Prix, but the KAAA would make no exemptions. Her managers would not let her go back to Kenya for the qualifiers and she was dropped from the team even though the IAAF rules state that an athlete’s time is good for 12 months and there is no need for an athlete to participate in a qualifying meet if he or she has met that time within the last 12 months in an IAAF-certified event. There were several times they could have used to qualify her.

When there is money to be made, it is not only the athlete who is likely to get paid. Without a good manager, a good adviser and an objective world-wise friend, a young athlete like Jelimo can be exploited into oblivion and with great impunity. I have seen it happen.

We pray that she is in good hands soon and wish her the best in her running career.

VIDEO of her stunning win in Berlin

UPDATE: July 19th 7:54PM CDT Dallas TX – Jelimo breaks African record