Meet teacher behind gold win by Faith Kipyegon

Ms Marylyn Lasoi, the school principal who urged Olympic winner Faith Kipyegon not to abandon the track, and the athlete’s coach at Keringet, Mr Vincent Lang’at, in Keringet, Molo, on Wednesday. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Ms Marylyn Lasoi acted like a mother to Faith and immediately mobilized women opinion leaders in the area including nominated Senator Liza Chelule and arranged for emergency talks with the athlete.
  • Faith led her colleagues to contribute Sh2,000 each to buy sand to patch up the potholed track before the sand was swept away by rains.
  • Another jubilant person who was following Faith’s journey is Mr Piet de Peut, a Holland national, who is the brain behind Keringet Winners girls school.

Even as Kenyans congratulate the dazzling Faith Chepng’etich Kipyegon for winning a gold medal at the Rio Olympics, one unsung hero behind her stunning victory is Ms Marylyn Lasoi.

In fact had Ms Lasoi not intervened, perhaps the celebration that engulfed the country moments after Faith won the women’s 1,500m final at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro on the wee hours of Wednesday would not have been there.

The win drew reactions from a cross-section of Kenyans including President Uhuru Kenyatta who was among the first Kenyans to congratulate Faith for flying the Kenyan flag high.

Unknown to many, Ms Lasoi, the principal of Winners Secondary School in Keringet, where Faith studied prevailed upon her to focus on athletics even as she indicated that she was contemplating hanging her spikes moments after writing her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam last year.

The mother of three said she saw potential in her student and when she heard of the decision Faith was about to make she was “restless and could not sleep.”

Ms Lasoi, 32, who is also a member of the Athletics Kenya national youth sub-committee acted like a mother to Faith and immediately mobilized women opinion leaders in the area including nominated Senator Liza Chelule and arranged for emergency talks with the athlete.
“Today I am the happiest Kenyan because I know my efforts were not in vain as little did I know what I was doing would galvanize the country into celebrating Faith’s victory,” said Ms Lasoi, who was among the first visitors and neighbours to flock Mr Samuel Koech Kipyegon, Faith’s father, homestead at Ndabibit village in Chebara location, Kuresoi North, on Wednesday.
“The victory by Faith is a dream come true as she started preparing for the Olympics when she was in Form Three and now she has accomplished her dream of winning an Olympic medal,” said the principal.
Ms Lasoi described the Olympian as a generous person who was ready to assist her colleagues at the Keringet camp and has already donated running spikes to some athletes in readiness for the 2017 World Youth Junior championships in Nairobi.

On the contrary, the training field where Faith trains with her colleagues at Keringet Estate Primary School is in bad shape.

To say the field where she trained a week before she left for Rio is neglected would be an understatement, said her coach Vincent Lang’at.

“This playing field resembles a ploughed garden and when it rains Faith and 45 other athletes who train here are unable to exploit their talent,” said Mr Lang’at.

REHABILITATE FIELD

He said their efforts to have the county government rehabilitate the field fell on deaf ears.

Ms Lasoi said at one point, Faith led her colleagues to contribute Sh2,000 each to buy sand to patch up the potholed track before the sand was swept away by rains.

Faith, a seventh born in a family of three boys and five girls stunned the world champion and record holder Genzebe Dibaba from Ethiopia claiming the women’s 1,500m gold.

Another jubilant person who was following Faith’s journey is Mr Piet de Peut, a Holland national, who is the brain behind Keringet Winners girls school.

Other athletes have also passed through the principal’s hands. They include Mercy Chebwogen, the 2011 World Junior champion in 3,000m in Poland and Joyline Cherotich, who won a bronze medal in the World Youth championships in 2015 in Colombia.

“This school was started by a good Samaritan from Holland in 2012 in hounour of Faith and other upcoming athletes from Keringet and she was among the pioneer students who benefited from the generosity of this philanthropic person from Holland,” said Ms Lasoi.

Apart from Faith Ms Lasoi has guided other world beaters who have passed through her hands and include Mercy Chebwogen who is the 2011 World Junior champion in 3,000m in Poland in 2011.

Others are Joyline Cherotich who won a bronze medal in the World Youth championships in 2015 in Colombia. Cherotich was a finalist in this year’s World Junior championships in Poland.