Kenyan head coach Julius Kirwa has attributed Kenya's below par performance at the just concluded world cross country championships to injuries and the fielding of over age athletes by arch rivals Ethiopia.
The national team jetted back home Monday night from Edinburgh, Scotland to a low key reception at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
According to Kirwa the cold weather and muddy course may have been valid reasons for Kenya's mixed fortunes at the 36th world cross country championships in Edinburgh.
He however claims the Kenyan athletes had to tackle a much more complex problem-age cheating.
Kirwa who was speaking at the JKIA soon after the team arrived home claimed Kenya failed to win individual titles in the 6km junior women and 8km junior men races because their major opponents from Ethiopia were much older.
Kirwa also said three athletes including 12km senior men silver medallist Leonard Patrick Komon were injured and that dampened the team's spirits.
Komon who gave Kenenisa Bekele a run for his money said the experience was an eye opener on what to expect in future encounters with the 6 time world champion.
Although the senior women's team once again played second fiddle to the Ethiopians, national champion Grace Momanyi who is also the assistant captain said the team's performance was the best under the circumstances.
Though Kenya did not win any individual gold medals it managed to win both the junior men and senior men team titles as well as retaining the overall championship title.
