Kenosi's Rare Privilege

By Thato Kala
Correspondent | Monday December 14, 2009 00:00

The Ethiopian boasts of several Olympic medals and has brought to an end a marathon 27 world records. Currently, he is the G4S global ambassador. Kenosi is the G4S 4teen's 200m sprinter.

He recently travelled to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa to meet 36-year-old Gebrselassie. The Ethiopian had invited Kenosi and fellow G4S 4teen sprinter from Nigeria Obinna Metu to spend some time with him so they could train and learn.

Kenosi represented Botswana at the 2008 Olympics. In Ethiopia, he had the opportunity to train with Gebrselassie on the stunning Mount Entoto before taking part in a filming session for Trans World Sport.

'It was fantastic, how many people can say they have trained with Haile in those beautiful mountains and at the gym that he owns. It is really nice for me because, although Haile is not a sprinter, he knows so much about training. 

He was showing me new exercises and routines with the weights and I learnt so much. He is such a great person to be with, always happy and so welcoming. I enjoyed the filming too. It was for an international TV programme so people in my country will be able to see what I did out there,' he told Monitor Sport. The Kanye-born sprinter said he was surprised when he walked around with Gebrselassie in Addis Ababa, as he was greeted with so much acclaim.  'It felt very strange when we walked around the city, everybody came to shake Gebrselassie's hand. He is very famous and everyone has so much respect for him.

I felt proud that he is my mentor when I saw this. But I am amazed because, despite all he has achieved, he is humble, polite and very friendly. I have never seen an athlete like him.' Gebrselassie runs a school with 2,000 athletes in Ethiopia. He has said he feels duty-bound to work with gifted young athletes as they need a role model to help them realise their goals. 'I enjoy imparting whatever I have learnt to the younger generation,' Gebrselassie told Trans World Sport.  He admits that training methods may differ, but sports persons have the same unifying desire to win.

'I may not be able to tell a sprinter the best starting technique, but principles, such as quality management, hard work and discipline, are applicable to every athlete.' Working with the revered icon has inculcated a winning spirit on the 21-year-old Kenosi who wants to do battle Jamaican sprint superstar, Usain Bolt.  Meanwhile, G4S Botswana public relations officer, Nyaladzi Kutjwe explained the aim of the programme that enabled Kenosi to meet Gebrselassie. 'The G4S 4teen programme's main mandate is to support 14 young athletes from various corners of the world, to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. However, I believe this programme has instilled numerous life skills in the teens, which will take them beyond 2012.

 'The sponsorship not only involves assisting athletes with physical training, but with other key skills like public speaking and media relations,'she said.  Kenosi spent 10 months training in Senegal under the G4S programme. He says the training was challenging because of windy weather. Last year, he won bronze medal in the 200m at the African Championships in Addis Ababa, setting a national record of 20.72 seconds.