Kenya looks to grow its Olympic medal haul

Kenya is out to break a performance jinx that has frustrated its Olympic outings since Beijing, its best games ever, when it won six gold, four silver and four bronze medals for a tally of 14.

Since then, the flow of gold medals has reduced to a trickle, with only two being won in London.

In terms of gold medals won, Seoul 1988 was Kenya’s second most successful games, with five gold, two silver and two bronze medals for a tally of nine medals. London, despite fewer gold medals, was the second best games in total medals, with the country winning 11, including four silver and five bronze medals

The country’s first post-independence outing at the Olympics in 1964 in Tokyo was less successful. Wilson Chuma Kiprugut won bronze in the 800 metres, the only medal for Kenya in the competition.

If Kipchoge Keino were a country, he would rank 85th in the order of merit.

A Nation Newsplex review of Olympic data reveals that Kenya has won a total of 86 medals in the 11 summer Olympics that it has participated, including 25 gold, 32 silver and 29 bronze and ranks ranked 36th on the all-time medals count.

Kenya is the top ranked country in Olympic performance both in number of gold won and overall total in Africa. It is followed by South Africa which has won two less gold medals than Kenya (23), 26 silver and 27 bronze, a tally of 76 medals.

Kenya's arch rival on the track, Ethiopia, is ranked third with 21 gold, seven silver and 17 bronze bringing it total to 45, about half of Kenya's total haul. The three are the only countries from Africa ranked in the top 50 in the Olympics.

Vénuste Niyongabo won a gold medal Burundi in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the country’s only Olympic medal to date, while Rwanda will be hoping to win for the first time this year. Of all the 54 countries in Africa, only 26 have won an Olympic medal.

CHAMPIONS

The most celebrated Kenyan Olympian is Kipchoge Keino who won gold in the 1,500m and silver in 5000m in the 1968 Mexico Olympics. In the following games in Munich in 1972 he won gold in 3,000m steeplechase and silver in 1,500m.

If Kipchoge Keino were a country he would rank 85th in the order of merit. American swimmer Michael Phelps holds the record for career gold medals at 18, two silver and two bronze. He is followed by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina with nine gold, five silver and four bronze.

In third is fellow Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov with seven gold, five silver and three bronze. If Phelps were a country he would rank 41 on the Olympics medal chart.

Fifteen Kenyans have won multiple medals in the games. They include Hezekiah Munyoro Nyamau and Charles Asati who won gold in the 4 x 400m relay in the Mexico1968 games and Silver in the same event in Munich in 1972.

One of every seven Kenyan medallists is a woman. The winners include Catherine Ndereba who won two silver medals in the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 games and Vivian Cheruiyot who won a silver in 5,000m and a bronze in 1,0000m in the London games.

Of the 12 Kenyan women medallists, only two were gold. They were awarded to Nancy Chebet Langat in 1,500m and Pamela Jelimo in 800m.

All except six of the medals in boxing, were in athletes. Boxing medals include a gold that was won by Robert Wangila in welterweight in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

MOST EXTRAORDINARY

In athletics, the medals have been in long and middle distance, except for a gold and silver medal in the 400x4 metres relay and two bronzes in the 400m.

Currently, four Kenyans hold Olympic records. David Rudisha who is the current Olympic champion and world champion in the 800 metres. Rudisha, who was the first person to run under one minute 41 seconds for the event holds the three fastest times ever run in this event and six of the top ten, according to the IAAF all-time charts.

The late Samuel Wanjiru set the marathon record during the 2008 games in Beijing, while Noah Ngeny has held the 1,500m Olympic record since Sidney 2000. The longest standing record by a Kenya is held by Julius Kariuki who set the 3,000m steeplechase record at the 1988 games in Seoul.

The oldest track and field record still standing belongs to Jarmila Kratochvílová from what was then Czechoslovakia, who set the women’s 800m mark back in July 1983, 33 years ago.

American Bob Beamon’s performance at the 1968 games in Mexico City is still one of the most extraordinary in Olympic history. His leap of 8.90 metres remains the Olympic record 44 years on.

No other athlete at a Games has been within 16cm of Beamon’s distance for two decades. However after 22 years and 316 days, his countryman, Mike Powell, broke the world record when he leapt 8.95metres at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo.

The best jump this year is more than half a metre shorter than Beamon’s.