NAIROBI —The mental health struggles of Kenyan athletes and a lack of support have come under the spotlight in the East African running powerhouse following a spate of deaths in the past few weeks.
The country is home to some of the world’s top long-distance runners, but the athletics community has struggled with deadly domestic violence and entrenched doping.
Internationally, sports bodies have come to recognise the huge impact of mental health following gymnast Simone Biles and tennis player Naomi Osaka’s public discussion of their own struggles.
While venerated globally, Kenyan athletes face intense pressure to succeed and financially provide for their immediate and extended families, further adding to their mental strain.
Since 2017, more than 80 Kenyan athletes have been sanctioned for doping, according to the World Athletics Integrity Unit, leaving them grappling with the financial, physical, and mental fallout of years-long bans.
On October 6, Kipyegon Bett, who was the 800 metres world bronze medallist in 2017, died in hospital in his home town of Kericho in western Kenya from kidney and liver failure brought on by alcohol.
He was just 26.
Bett, one of Kenya’s most promising middle distance runners, had been slapped with a four-year ban in 2018 after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
“He went into a depression and started drinking heavily,” his grieving sister Purity Kirui told AFP after his death.
