{"id":685678,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/685678/?format=json","text_counter":311,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. (Eng.) Gumbo","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":24,"legal_name":"Nicholas Gumbo","slug":"nicholas-gumbo"},"content":"Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order No. 33(1), I wish to seek leave to move an adjournment of the House for the purpose of congratulating our Kenyan world-conquering athletes for their sterling performance in the just concluded 2016 Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, during the championship, Kenyan athletes garnered a total of 13 medals. They were six gold medals, six silver medals and one bronze medal. Those medals were won despite facing a myriad of challenges such as unsubstantiated doping allegations against our athletes and logistical pitfalls. The other challenge our athletes faced included extreme lethargy, incompetence and appalling ineptitude and, indeed, elements of corruption by Kenya’s managers of athletics. Our athletes have once again shown a demonstrated superlative performance and, thus, reaffirmed to the world that Kenya is, indeed, an unrivalled athletic powerhouse. Whereas it would have been most opportune for the debate on this important matter to coincide with the day there is a grand return of our athletics heroes, this is such an important matter that we really must discuss at this point. Every day, our athletes are living examples that the excitement of winning is always greater than the fear of losing. Indeed, our athletes shall always be the finest examples of what patience, persistence and perspiration can achieve. It is for this reason that I wish to use the Floor of this House to congratulate, particularly our medal winners in Rio. They are David Rudisha in the 800 metres men, Eliud Kipchoge in the men marathon, Conseslus Kipruto 3,000 metres steeplechase men, Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot 5,000 metres women, Jemimah Sumgong marathon women and Faith Kipyegon, 1,500 metres women. Our silver medallists were Julius Yego in javelin, Bernard Mucheru Tumuti in 400 metres hurdles, Paul Kipng’etich in 10,000 metres men, Vivian Cheruiyot in 10,000 metres women, Hellen Obiri in the 5,000 metres women and Vivian Jepkemoi in the 3,000 metres steeplechase women. Of course, we should not forget our bronze medallist Margaret Nyairera Wambui who won the bronze medal in the 800 metres women. I think we are so used to winning that we, perhaps, fail to notice that, in spite, of all the odds our athletes faced in Rio, Kenya made history when Jemimah Sumgong and Eliud Kipchoge won the marathon women and marathon men, respectively. That made Kenya the first country in the history of the Olympics to have won the gold medal in both the men and women marathons."}