{"id":448849,"date":"2011-06-27T13:00:38","date_gmt":"2011-06-27T13:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/06\/27\/kenya-boit-at-ease-in-politics-as-he-used-to-be-on-track\/"},"modified":"2011-06-27T13:00:38","modified_gmt":"2011-06-27T13:00:38","slug":"kenya-boit-at-ease-in-politics-as-he-used-to-be-on-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/27\/kenya-boit-at-ease-in-politics-as-he-used-to-be-on-track\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenya: Boit At Ease in Politics As He Used to Be On Track"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Jonathan Komen<\/p>\n

26 June 2011<\/p>\n

\n

analysis<\/p>\n

Nairobi \u2014 Wilson Boit Kipketer made sterling achievements on global track in Kenya’s number one athletics speciality, the 3,000m steeplechase.<\/p>\n

And, despite having an expanded trophy cabinet, basking on the IAAF World Championships gold medal, Olympic silver and being the second man in the world to run the steeplechase under eight minutes (7:59.08 – then a world record), Kipketer still remains little known.<\/p>\n

He is the councillor for Kabiyemit Ward in Keiyo South and most locals only know him for the civic post. Kipketer, however, loves it, telling from the manner he introduces himself even before dignitaries at public events.<\/p>\n

He does not miss his introductory trademark, “I am Wilson Boit Kipketer, councillor of Kabiyemit Ward,” at public gatherings which overshadows his global glory in athletics.<\/p>\n

Born in Kipsaos Village in Keiyo South, the 38-year-old Kipketer picked up athletics later in life as he wanted to excel in academics.<\/p>\n

“I think running to school and back home was the only form of running I did. It was quite a long distance and that was why I started schooling at nine years,” said Kipketer, a father of two.<\/p>\n

Remarkable rise<\/strong><\/p>\n

While schooling, Kipketer never went beyond the district championships and his rise to the top of world athletics was remarkable.<\/p>\n

“There was no elite runner in my village those days. I had no role model,” said Kipketer, who completed Standard Eight at Simotwo Primary School in 1988.<\/p>\n

He passed well and secured a place at the athletics-rich St Patrick’s High School, Iten, where he met trailblazers Wilson Kipketer (now a Dane), Olympic champ Mathew Birir, Sammy Biwott among others.<\/p>\n

“I had the zeal to run although I feared lining up against top runners. I thought of waiting for Kipketer and Birir to complete Form Four so that I participate in inter-class competitions. I even shared this with my friends in the hostels. Fortunately or unfortunately, Birir overheard this.”<\/p>\n

“Birir, then a prefect, told Bro Colm O’ Connell, a games teacher and the school principal, that there was a Form One boy who wanted to run but feared competition from top athletes.<\/p>\n

“By then, athletics was the lifeblood of St Patrick’s High School as students from the school were always part of the national teams, both junior or senior.<\/p>\n

“Bro Colm then summoned him me to his office for punishment -for deliberately undermining the school’s sporting identity -and he simply ordered him to go for morning runs and evening training sessions with the top stars that joined the school on athletics tickets,” Kipketer said.<\/p>\n

When the inter-class competitions came up, Kipketer says he finished third, setting the ball rolling for the following year, where he came third in the national secondary schools’ competition. The feat earned him his maiden trip to Denmark for the secondary schools’ competitions.<\/p>\n

“The achievement gave me the assurance that apart excelling in class work, I could earn a living from running.”<\/p>\n

He went on making impressive strides, and in 1992, he made the cut to World Junior Championships in Seoul, South Korea.<\/p>\n

“I had to turn down the selection. I was in Form Four and wanted to concentrate on studies to attain the university cut-off mark.<\/p>\n

“But it did not get down well with Bro Colm. He insisted that I should be in the team and we differed sharply,” said the eloquent Kipketer.<\/p>\n

Upon completing his Form Four exams, Kipketer says he began to train alone despite curious neighbours who had never seen athletes training on the roads.<\/p>\n

He says the move drew mixed reaction, given it was at the height of the 1992 tribal clashes that rocked his home area.<\/p>\n

By and by, he met an Asian, a sports-wear dealer in Eldoret, who offered to support him on the account that he becomes the agent.<\/p>\n

“He gave me running gear and some money to rent a house in Iten. I immediately bought a stop watch and embarked on serious training.<\/p>\n

After two months, he discontinued the help and I moved to my cousin’s house,” he told Monday Sport at his home in Kabiemit in Keiyo.<\/p>\n

Won in Armed Forces Championships<\/p>\n

Bro Colm later guided him. And in 1994, Kipketer ran as a civilian in the Armed Forces Championships and won the 3,000m steeplechase final.<\/p>\n

Top military officials, among them General Jackson Tuwei (now AK vice chairman), spotted him.<\/p>\n

He was then recruited into Kenya Air Force, where he met former world marathon record holder Paul Tergat and Moses Tanui, the first man to run half marathon under one hour.<\/p>\n

By then, the team to the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada, was yet to be named and Bro Colm wanted him to chase for a slot.<\/p>\n

“I could not afford to miss the employment opportunity. I again clashed with him and I like him because he buries the hatchet and appreciates good things,” said Kipketer, a fifth-born in a family of five boys and three girls.<\/p>\n

He is not your typical Kenyan runner. Kipketer stuck with his 3,000m speciality until he graduated to marathon running.<\/p>\n

“I found the race fitting as I posted exemplary performances and positive body response,” he said.<\/p>\n

And he could feature numerously within the podium bracket and even post better times, including the 7:59.08 world mark -which was second after three-time world 3,000m steeplechase champion Moses Kiptanui’s former all-time mark.<\/p>\n

But August 13, 1997 remains riveted in Kipketer’s mind. He strolled to unexpected world record in Weltklasse Zurich, the third of the three world records set in a 70-minute period of time.<\/p>\n

Kipketer’s record only stood for 11 days before fellow Kenyan Bernard Barmasai slapped a new mark, shaving off almost three and a half seconds off the mark.<\/p>\n

Peak of his career<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Running under the eighth-minute mark was the peak of my career. I felt so good and I never even slept.<\/p>\n

“For me, steeplechase developed naturally in high school. I won easily and, though I tried 5,000m and 10,000m, I did not click,” the former military sapper says.<\/p>\n

He added: “Steeplechase is a technical event. It needs dedication and use of brains in calculating height of barriers, that is, which leg goes first or even train for both.”<\/p>\n

Kipketer says he served the armed forces for 12 years and realised that he could serve sufficiently after athletics retirement. “I just decided to enjoy life and the pension since I was eligible for it,” he said.<\/p>\n

He had opted to venture into farming and running, but he was surprised when locals asked him to run for the local civic seat during the 2007 General Elections and won it. With the political task, Kipketer continued with marathon running.<\/p>\n

He surprisingly made his debut in Dusseldorf, in 2:15:23 and raced in Frankfurt Marathon while a councillor. “I chose to retire from athletics to serve the people.”<\/p>\n

Unlike other Kenyan world beaters, Kipketer put up a maisonette house in his rural home. His house has dusty pictures and trophies of him running the water and barriers race, winning gold medal in World Championships in Athens, Greece (1997), silver in Seville, Spain (1999) and silver in the All African Games in Johannesburg, South Africa.<\/p>\n

Won silver medal<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kipketer won silver medals at the Sydney Olympics and the Africa Seniors in Tunnis, Tunisia, before romping to victory in the World Cup in 2002.<\/p>\n

“He never went beyond the district championships. When I look back now, I smile about it. I put him as a pacesetter for the girls.<\/p>\n

“Little did I know that within another five years, Wilson Boit Kipketer would win the World title in the steeplechase and go on to break the world record. I was pleased with the feat,” Bro Colm reportedly said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\nMore News on allAfrica.com<\/strong><\/legend>\n<\/fieldset>\n

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See the article here:
\nKenya: Boit At Ease in Politics As He Used to Be On Track<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jonathan Komen 26 June 2011 analysis Nairobi \u2014 Wilson Boit Kipketer made sterling achievements on global track in Kenya’s number one athletics speciality, the 3,000m steeplechase. And, despite having an expanded trophy cabinet, basking on the IAAF World Championships gold medal, Olympic silver and being the second man in the world to run the steeplechase under eight minutes (7:59.08 – then a world record), Kipketer still remains little known. He is the councillor for Kabiyemit Ward in Keiyo South and most locals only know him for the civic post. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-448849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nKenya: Boit At Ease in Politics As He Used to Be On Track - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/27\/kenya-boit-at-ease-in-politics-as-he-used-to-be-on-track\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Kenya: Boit At Ease in Politics As He Used to Be On Track - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Jonathan Komen 26 June 2011 analysis Nairobi \u2014 Wilson Boit Kipketer made sterling achievements on global track in Kenya's number one athletics speciality, the 3,000m steeplechase. 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