In the realm of sports, athletes strive for greatness, pushing the boundaries of human potential. As such, a select few possess the extraordinary ability to shatter long-standing world records and leave spectators awe-inspired by their monumental achievements.
Yet, in a twist of fate that can leave even the most accomplished athletes disheartened, some have found themselves denied the crowns they rightfully deserve.
Kenyans.co.ke takes a look at five athletes who were left empty-handed despite breaking records.
Ferdinand Omanyala
Africa's fastest man Omanyala is no stranger to the limelight as he has exceeded expectations in placing the Kenyan flag high in the Men's 100-metre race.
Prior to his amazing feats, he was once denied the fastest record by Athletics Kenya despite running the fastest time.
In 2021, as a University of Nairobi (UoN) student, Omanyala participated in the event held at Nyayo stadium and clocked 10.11 seconds, beating the previous record set by Mark Otieno in 2017 who had 10.14 seconds.
The record was, however, nullified as Athletics Kenya claimed the win was wind-assisted.
Months later, Omanyala set the fastest African record at the Kipkeino Classic by clocking in at 9.77.
Elijah Mwangangi Saolo and Luke Kibet
The two Kenyan athletes suffered a setback in the United States of America (USA) after they missed out on the Ksh331,200 cash prize despite coming in first place.
While closing in on the finish line, the pair erred by following the volunteer guide who led them off their marked track.
This led to the disqualification of the pair despite Mwangangi scooping gold while Kibet came in second. Mwangangi was devastated by the outcome as he had hoped to save enough funds to keep his family in the US.
Days later, the race director compensated the athletes Ksh221,000 each.
Bernard Barmasai
3,000 metres steeplechase athlete Bernard Barmasai could have walked away with Ksh118 million at the 1999 Weltklasse Golden Meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, were it not for a blunder that led to his disqualification.
After clinching gold in four out of the five Golden League meetings, Barmasai was one win away from bagging the millions.
During the race, he raced alongside his compatriot Christopher Koskei who was hot on his trail.
While doing the final lap of the race, Koskei increased his pace - in a burst of energy- and was close to overtaking Barmasai before the latter whispered a Kalenjin word “Metowo” meaning “leave it to me” in English or "Niachie" in Kiswahili.
After a brief conversation between the two athletes, Koskei slowed down for Barmasai who crossed the finish line in a record time with the former finishing second.
Sensing something fishy, the IAAF disqualified Barmasai for race fixing after thorough investigations were completed. This in turn cost him the entire prize money.
Eliud Kipchoge
Going by the moniker, no human is Limited, Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge was the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours in Vienna, Austria in 2019 (1 hour 59 minutes and 40 seconds).
His record did not, however, go into the record books as it was not an open competition but rather an event designed to assist Kipchoge break the two-hour record.
This involved 42 pacemakers who raced with him alongside a car that projected the right position on the track by the use of a laser.
