A Kenyan-born US runner is taking heat on social media after tweeting that he would never recommend anyone to compete in Africa.
Samuel Kiprono Chelanga, who became a naturalized US citizen in 2015, competed at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, Uganda last weekend. He finished at 11th place, and his poor performance seemed to have elicited his tweet, which read: “I wouldn’t recommend racing in Africa. Super thankful for 11th place overall.”
Responding to the backlash from Kenyans on twitter who translated his tweet as him dissing his continent of birth, Chelanga clarified that his tweet meant to state how hard it is to compete and win in Africa owing to the great talent in Africa. “Very disappointing. My comment was a compliment for how tough the conditions were in Africa & respect for the great talent… For the record: I loved the race, Uganda,& the whole experience in #iaafkampala2017 . I wish I didn’t have to defend my last tweet. So sad,” responded Chelanga.
Hey Chelanga,If your comment…
Hey Chelanga,If your comment was a compliment, how come it rubbed alot of people the wrong way?.Including Benard Lagart whom in my opinion is a better athlete than you.I mention Largart because he has Kenyan roots like you.Whether you like it or not… Do you have trouble expressing yourself in the official language of your new country? I think you are trying to do a damage control now that you are exposed…
See,Mr Chelanga, if you were better than Kamworor, you would have won.Are you saying that you would beat Kamworor if the championships were held in USA, your adopted country?I doubt it…
Finally, positioning yourself at 11 is no disgrace.This was a world championship.With better runners than you.
By the way, if you are having trouble with your english, as an american now, you should have alot of support in improving it.Remember in your damage control statements,you meant to say that it is hard to win in africa because of the immense talent.It would have been better to say that,”It is difficulty to beat africans because of the immense talent they possess,and that’s why Iam running for USA.And tell them to note that had you been still a Kenyan citizen, you would not have even had an opportunity to represent Kenya”.Nothing wrong with changing your citizenship, its you prerogative. But dont make condescending statements about your mother continent just because you now live in what you deem as a better continent. Have respect for mother Africa.
Hats off Maxiley well said.
Hats off Maxiley well said.