We can no longer depend on athletics alone as a major source of income, two-time 5000m world champion Hellen Obiri has cautioned fellow runners.
Obiri is among the thousands of Kenyan athletes whose major source of income was blocked following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus that was first reported in Kenya last March.
All sporting activities in Kenya have been suspended as players, coaches and other support staff now find themselves with no income, especially for those who depended entirely on sports as the source of employment.
Luckily for Obiri, she is an officer at the Kenya Defence Forces, a formal employment that provides some financial cover.
But besides having an assured monthly income, the reigning World Cross Country champion has returned to her default setting — farming.
Obiri, who holds the Kenyan national record in 5000m, now spends most of her free time in the farm following the ‘forced’ break from athletics.
“We depended so much on races for the income but right now, we no longer rely on athletics as the main source of income anymore,” Obiri who won her maiden World Cross Country title last year told SPORTS AFRICA.
That success in Aarhus in 2019 clearly depicts how fast Obiri can change tack for survival having taken a top podium finish in her debut season at the X-country last year.
But with no competitive athletics activities on the card since the beginning of the year, the army woman is now spending her free time tending to her maize and vegetables farms in her rural home in Kisii.
“I’m now farming,” Obiro revealed to SPORTS AFRICA.
“Of course I have enough time to spend with my family. I’ve planted maize and some greens now that I have a lot of time on my hands.
Obiri warns that with the disruption the sporting calendar, that includes the cancelation of the 2020 Olympics where she was likely to make it into the Team Kenya squad to Tokyo, athletes need to look for alternative sources of income to stay afloat throughout these challenging times.
“We had planned for a lot of races but everything is now at a standstill and we don’t know when next we will race,” she added.