Winfred Yavi, a 24-year old Kenyan-born athlete is making headlines after she won the 3000m steeplechase title at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Wednesday evening.
Yavi beat Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai, to take the gold while Kenya’s Faith Cherotich settled for a bronze medal.
Kenya’s have been digging why Yavi chose to represent Bahrain, an Asian country, over her own motherland.
It however emerged that she made the decision at a young age after several attempts to join Team Kenya failed. In a previous interview with Mungai Eve she opened up on the matter.
“I used to go to the Kenya team trials, and I didn’t qualify… It was my first priority; I was ready to represent my country. The competition was stiff. You know that in Kenya we have a lot of athletes, and to get that chance, you should at least enter the Kenyan team. You can get into the Kenyan team, but you find that they take only two people; if you are number two or number four, you miss out. I was totally ready, but I never got a chance,” she said.
In 2016, she landed the third position in a youth competition but only number one and two were chosen to represent Kenya.
“I had done a lot of training; I had worked hard; that’s how I came and got the chance (to go to Bahrain), and I went,” she said, revealing that she was connected by a Kenyan in the sports sector for the Bahrain deal.
“My parents also agreed, and the coach also agreed and took me there,” Yavi said. Some were however not happy with her decision to also change her nationality.
Following the realization, Kenyans have criticized the government for failing to take Kenyan athletes seriously.
Mike Sonko: Yavi Mutile (Kamba from Makueni running for Bahrain) has come back to Hunt Kenya. It’s a lesson, I have always asked the government to take good care of their athletes,leo tumenyoroshwa na Mutile in 3000m run tumepata bronze.
Sakwa Ongoma: RUTO: “There is a young lady from Makueni, Winfred Yavi, running for Bahrain. This government promised to export young Kenyans to work abroad.”
Maina Kageni:Eh… @WinfredYavi won her first-ever Olympic gold medal, beating two Kenyans in the 3000m SC final 🥇 …Winfred Yavi switched her nationality from Kenya to Bahrain in 2016 because she didn’t get a chance. Don’t we understand where she’s coming from? #MainaAndKingangi
Yavi was born in Makueni county.
Just read that she was denied a chance to join the kenyan team, and was asked to give 200K to join, so she went to run for Bahrain.
She just bagged a gold medal and will be paid Ksh32Million. Meanwhile a gold for Kenya only attracts Ksh5Million.
I’m happy for her🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/NFp9pPoG03— Eve Maina (@evenmaina) August 6, 2024