100 chickens, one ton of rice, 10 sheep and 100 crates of soda for Jelimo party

With a teaching experience spanning 33 years, Kibiwott has baffled many with his sudden resurface, that has left more questions than answers.

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The stage was set. During this year’s Africa Athletics Championship in Ethiopia, there was an 800-metre bridge across the generation gap.

Pamela Jelimo, a teenage first-timer competing in her first race as a senior to cheer up her mother, and Maria Mutola, a veteran of six Olympic Games and old enough to be that mother, effectively exchanged a baton in a dramatic victory for youth over experience.

She is 18, was still a sprinter only last year and now has an Olympic gold medal, a world junior record and a place in the all-time top ten.

She stepped up to middle-distance running this year only on the advice of Janeth Jepkosgei, her Kenyan compatriot, who, given that she finished second yesterday, may be regretting her sagacity.

Jelimo, though, will surely be there in 2012 and may well be moving effortlessly towards legendary status by then.

She is doing all this for her widowed mother, Rodah Jeptoo Keter, who wanted to be an athlete, but was dissuaded by the prejudice that existed a generation ago.

“She has a very bright future and a great inspiration to the young athletes. Her milestone will live for a very long time,” said 2005 World champion, Benjamin Limo.