Janeth Jepkosgei explains what it takes to coach refugee athletes

2007 World 800m champion Janeth Jepkosgei has brought to light what it takes to coach refugee athletes. She coaches the refugee athletics team in Kenya and recently led the World Athletics Refugee Team at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.

Speaking on Friday during the junior time trials at the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret where top athletes competed in the short and middle-distance races, Jepkosgei said that dedication and empathy were must-haves for her job.

For Jepkosgei, it takes compassion, patience, and cultural sensitivity to create a supportive environment where athletes who have faced displacement and adversity can thrive. She vividly remembers days when a call to family members would destroy the athlete's day.

"Working with athletes from the refugee team is quite emotional because of what they have gone through in their lives. Some have never met their families since 2013, or 2017, and when they get time to connect with their families through calls they get so low," she said.

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She continued: "I have seen a boy talk with his family and he was emotional the whole day."

Despite her challenging role, Jepkosgei said she takes pride in being their shoulder to lean on during those tough times. She believes that anyone can make their dream come true just like her.

She won her inaugural 800m World Under-20 gold medal while still in high school before going on to become Kenya’s first woman to win a senior world championship title. She never lacked confidence in herself and her abilities.

"But I am there to guide them to counsel them to accept life and better their future despite their hardship backgrounds," she offered.

Jepkosgei, fondly nicknamed 'Eldoret Express' was also pleased that his job gave her a platform to grow the skills of the athletes both in school and on the track.

"It is a nice program. I enjoy it and I would like to do my best," she said.

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Eldoret Express also noted that they were working on logistics to pick a team for the 2026 Youth Olympics in Dakar and later the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA.

"We are here also to select the team for Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics; after Paris, there will be Olympics 2028, and we are here to identify the talents. So, we are scouting and to be able to support and train them," she revealed.

She began working with the displaced runners in Kakuma, one of the world’s largest refugee camps in Kenya, ahead of the 2021 World U20 Championships in Nairobi.

It was that event that served as her major coaching highlight when one of the runners from her training camp, Emmanuel Wanyonyi, clinched the 800m gold, adding on to the 400m silver won by training mates Sylvia Chelangat, and 5000m bronze medalist Levy Kibet.

Wanyonyi, now the reigning 800m Diamond League winner and widely regarded as the best Kenyan 800m runner, took silver behind Canada's Marco Arop at the last worlds.