The Kenyan athletics industry recently bemoaned the passing of veteran Kenyan runner Nyandika Mayoro, the man who won a race despite starting off 100m behind the rest of the pack.
This is one among countless other stories of Kenyan athletes who left an indelible mark on the world stage.
Here's a list of five such individuals and their remarkable fetes:
Kipchoge Keino and his gallstones of steel
The legendary long-distance runner made the headlines during the 1968 Olympic games held in Mexico.
Keino registered to participate in three events, the 10,000, 5000 and 1,500 metre races (something out of the question nowadays), despite the German team doctor’s warning him that any sort of physical exertion would seriously endanger his health, due to an acute case of gallstones.
He literally collapsed while leading the 10,000m race with barely 3 laps to go, crawled off the track, but somehow found the strength to walk back and finish the race on his two feet.
The legend went on to win the silver medal in the 5000m race, just a fifth of a second off first place.
To crown it all, he etched his name in Olympic history during the 1500m finals. His bus ride to the Olympic stadium was stuck in traffic, forcing Keino to run an estimated 3.2km in the sweltering Mexican heat to the stadium, with his gear in tow.
He then walked out onto the track and won the gold medal, outpacing the second placed runner by an astounding 20 metres- the longest distance anyone had ever won by in the event at that time.
Machuka Punches Gerbresellasie
Despite a stellar athletic career, Josephat Machuka is remembered for one of the most bizarre incidents in athletics history.
Athletics can be a frustrating sport often leading rivals to the very edge of what can be considered as legal.
This is exactly what happened at the 1992 World Junior Championships 10,000 metres finals. Machuka had always gone toe to toe with Ethiopian legend, Haile Gerbresellasie, but during this particular race, things took a turn towards what can be termed as bizarre.
Machuka was fighting for first place when he saw his lead slipping away to his arch-rival, with just meters to the finish line. It is at this point that he decided to literally punch his opponent in the back of the head and was duly disqualified.
The Kenyan hall of famer went on to enjoy a stellar career, winning several All African games competitions, but he is always remembered for his infamous punch.
Hyvon Ng’etich and the most unforgettable marathon in recent history
Hers is a story of triumph and resilience in the face of insurmountable odds, a story that stole the hearts of millions across the world.
Ng’etich, a Kenyan marathon runner, stunned the world during the 2015 Austin Marathon, a race in which she finished third.
However, it was the manner in which she did it that left rivals as well as friends in awe. Having led the pack for most of the race, her body gave up causing her to collapse with barely 50m between her and the finish line.
Doctors promptly rushed to her aid with a wheelchair in tow but the Kenyan marathoner was defiant and chose to crawl her way to the finish line.
When quizzed on why she decided to crawl she simply responded, “I don’t remember all that crawling or whatever, even the collapsing I don’t remember. In running, you always have to keep going.”
Austin Marathon race director at the time, John Conley, increased Ng’etich’s prize money to that of a second-place finisher, terming her as the toughest person on the planet.
“You ran the bravest race and crawled the bravest crawl I have ever seen in my life, You have earned much honour,” he remarked.
Later on, medical reports revealed that her collapse was due to extremely low blood sugar levels.
Henry Rono and what could have been
The legendary Kenyan long-distance runner needs little introduction having established world records in the 5000M (13:08.4), steeplechase (8:05.4), 10,000M (27:22.4) and 3000M (7:32.1), an achievement unparalleled in the history of distance running.
“Those of us who saw it will always remember we were lucky; we saw running become art. Over the years we've all heard many athletes declare themselves to be ‘artists.’ Rono never claimed anything; he just ran. But if ever there was a ‘performance artist’ in our sport, it was Rono. His performances were ephemeral." declared George Malley, an American record-breaking athlete.
In 81 days in the summer of 1978, as a sophomore at Washington State University, Rono ended up setting five world records and dominating the sport of running.
Kenya's boycott of the 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics robbed the phenomenal runner of a world stage he seemed destined to dominate for a long time.
His outstanding success in track and field during this period saw him earn Ksh15,009,000 as well as earning a Nike deal.
The story of the budding athlete, who never really got the chance to perform on the world stage, took a turn for the worse as he fell victim to alcoholism.
He has since made a plea for help with fellow legend Kipchoge Keino promising to help fly the runner back home from US where he was stuck.
Notable mention: Robert Wangila Napunyi and his hands of steel
Wangila was a Kenyan boxer who won a welterweight gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games.
As an amateur, 165 of his exemplary 175-5 record were knockouts.
Popularly known as the Olympian who spoke quietly but punched hard, he holds the enviable title of the only Kenyan Olympic gold medal winner outside track events, and the only boxer from Sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa to have won Olympic gold.
Hardened by his upbringing in the streets of Jericho and the rundown gymnasium of Dallas Muthurwa Social Hall in Nairobi, he went on to the pinnacle of sports of boxing.
He dominated Kenya, East, and Central Africa, as well as the All Africa Games champion before going on to win Africa’s first Olympic Games gold medal in 1988.
Wangila’s end was tragic as he died in 1994, two days after he faced David Gonzales at the Aladdin Hotel in Nevada. It is reported that he collapsed into a coma an hour or so after that match, never to wake up.
