News30 Jun 2014


IAAF Ambassador Wilson Kipketer holds master class for young runners in Russia

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Wilson Kipketer with young Russian runners in Zhukovsky, June 2014 (© Aleksander Kiselev)

IAAF Ambassador Wilson Kipketer hosted a master class for young Russian middle distance runners at the famous Meteor Stadium in the town of Zhukovsky, near Moscow, on Friday (27).

At the beginning of the master class, Wilson ran two laps with all the kids and then took them through some warm up exercises.

It was soon clear that the three-time IAAF World Championships 800m gold medallist and former world record holder is not only a famous former athlete but also a talented story teller.

He demonstrated every exercise but also explained why exercises should be done in a certain way, and what the consequences can be if the exercise is done in the different way.

Kipketer explained and showed the correct way to place the feet while running, the length of the stride needed for a good result, and showed various exercises for the legs, shoulders, arms and abdominals.

During all the master class, the famous athlete constantly reiterated how important it is to not only use not only the legs but also to the brain; and to enjoy running and have fun on the track.

In the middle of the master class, there was a short break and all the kids could see on the stadium’s big video screen recordings of Wilson’s most famous races, including some of his world record runs.

Among the participants in the master class there were also two children of another worldwide famous 800m runner, the sons of 2004 Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovsky, Yaroslav and Lev.

After the master class - part of a long time project between ARAF and the Coca-Cola Foundation’s ‘New stars of the Russian Winter’  programme -  a 2000m race was held with16 runners between 14 and 15 years of age taking part.  

All the runners can be proud that Kipketer was their pacemaker and ran the first lap of the distance.

All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) for the IAAF

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