Iten celebrates steeplechase stars at ‘Festival of Greats’
Budding athletes during the steeplechase ‘Festival of the Greats’ at the Lorna Kiplagat Sports Academy in Iten on March 21, 2015. PHOTO | COPPERFIELD LAGAT |
What you need to know:
- Kipchoge Keino said Kenya’s talent in steeplechase can only get better because coaches have come up as opposed to their times.
- Jairus Birech and Milcah Chemos and Kemboi represented the active athletes.
Kipchoge Keino went to his Eldoret bank Saturday morning, retrieved his treasured 1972 Olympic Games steeplechase gold medal from the vault, and proudly displayed it at the Lornah Kiplagat Sports Academy’s tartan track on a day Kenya’s steeplechase greats assembled for a unique and memorable ceremony to celebrate the country’s age-long dominance in the water and barriers race.
The inaugural “Festival of Greats” brought together Kenya’s steeplechase medallists over time, with the star attraction being the man who started it all – Amos Biwott, Kenya’s trail-blazing gold medallist at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. And, of course, the flamboyant reigning World and Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi was unmistakable in his presence, exciting the crowd when he joined steeplechase upstarts as a pacesetter in one of the exhibition races.
Over 100 young runners competed in different races at the unique meeting that threw down the gauntlet for the rest of the world, issuing a severe warning that Kenya is not about to let go its steeplechase tradition.
INVEST IN YOUNG TUCKS
Athletes, coaches and officials present at the event vowed to invest in developing youth steeplechase talent right from primary school level. Besides bagging nine Olympic steeplechase titles, Kenya has also minted as many world titles and 12 world youth titles. Julius Kariuki of Kenya set the men’s Olympic record of 8.05.51 minutes at the 1988 Seoul Games.
“I have never missed to watch our athletes participating in the World Championships and Olympic Games. It always pleases me to hear the national anthem play in all the editions of the championships,” Biwott told Sunday Nation Sport as he admired the sprouting talent assembled on Saturday.
Kipchoge Keino said Kenya’s talent in steeplechase can only get better because coaches have come up as opposed to their times.
“We had no coaches then but we made history. Now that there are enough coaches, our excellence in athletics and more so steeplechase can get better.
We did not even have training shoes then,” he said. Jairus Birech and Milcah Chemos and Kemboi represented the active athletes.
