Catherine Ndereba advises male athletes against suffering in silence over gender-based violence

Catherine Ndereba advises male athletes against suffering in silence over gender-based violence

Joel Omotto 06:01 - 12.11.2024

Kenya’s marathon great Catherine Ndereba wants Kenyan male athletes to speak out if they suffer gender-based violence instead of dying silently.

Former Boston Marathon champion Catherine Ndereba wants Kenyan male athletes to speak out if they suffer incidents of gender-based violence.

Ndereba feels there are a lot of men suffering silently due to the fear of being termed ‘weak’ if they speak out, leading to cases of physical and mental harm that have a huge impact on their athletics careers.

“When we talk about gender-based violence, we are not talking about women but also men. They are also going through a lot but they don’t want to speak because they have been brought up to believe doing so is a sign of weakness…that crying is a sign of weakness. This is hurting a lot of them who chose to suffer in silence,” Ndereba said in Nyahururu, during a forum aimed at sensitising athletes over gender-based violence, as per Capital Sports.

The former world marathon record holder told the runners to identify red flags and also act as their brother’s keeper to ensure they do not fall victim to the vice.

“We need to watch out for each other. If you see one of your friends has drastically changed and is no longer the cheerful person they used to be, then you should check on them. Confide in one another and share your challenges with each other. There is no problem that doesn’t have a solution,” added the four-time Boston Marathon champion.

Ndereba’s sentiments come two days after former world 800m champion Janeth Jepkosgei told male runners to be wary of older women who are pretending to love them yet their intention is to fleece them of their hard-earned cash.

The forum was organized by various gander-based organisations, in conjunction with Athletics Kenya, to help athletes ‘stay woke’ in the face of cases of domestic violence that have seen some of them lose their property while others have even been killed by jilted lovers.