FILBERT BAYI SANKA

Is he still a champion

No one could ever thought that the World record of 3.32.2 set by a Tanzanian athlete icon Filbert Bayi Sanka could survive for forty years without being shattered in the Commonwealth Games.

Sebastian Coe another legend and CEO of the last London Olympics managed to break the record after five years but in the World Athletic Games hence leaving Bayis record to a standstill in the Commonwealth Games.

Bayi, a former goal keeper of Air wing Football club in the early 70s amazed the World by breaking the 1500m World record with a sounding 3.32.2 leaving behind the favorites Jim Walker and Ben Jipcho  of New Zealand and Kenya respectively.

In his book titled The Talent Code , one of the Americas greatest author  Daniel Coyle argues that Greatness is not born . It is grown.
Trully indeed , I concur with him with a fact that practice is a key to success.

Specific practices makes more perfection . What matters is the specific kind of practice.
As a sports administrator and trained coach I believe practice can increase skills up to ten times faster than convectional practices. Most of our players are doing convectional practices . Business as usual.

We need to break the 40 years Bayis myth in the next Commonwealth Games.
This is a challenge to our athletes, coaches and sports administrators. We need to have specific training to break the myth.
Daniel Coyle links specific practices with 1930s US army frequent crashes. It was until when President Roosevelt asked the army authorities when this crash will end.

They later found out that most of the US army pilots were not taking enough practices after their trainings.
Again as a challenge to our athletes, specific trainings will undoubtly break the 40 year myth of Filbert Bayi.

Tanzanians will be proud if another World record is set at the coming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow by a Tanzanian.
Otherwise Filbert Bayi will still be a champion.