Sport’s in Kenya A Guide by Robert N Gachoki Introduction Kenya’s prowess in long-distance races (Track & Field) has never been in doubt with the country’s athletes revered across the globe for their conquests. As such, Kenyans have become synonymous with winning every city marathon with only Ethiopians providing a genuine threat. The statistics are hard to ignore. This medium-size country of 41 million dominates the world in competitive running. Pick any long-distance race. You'll often find that up to about 70 or 80 percent of its winners since the late 1980s, have been from Kenya. Since 1988, for example, 20 of the 25 first-place men in the Boston Marathon have been Kenyan. Of the top 25 male record holders for the 3000-meter steeplechase, 18 are Kenyan. Seven of the last 8 London marathons were won by Kenyans, Location Kenya is located in East Africa, neighbouring Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda & Tanzania. With a rich history of 44 tribes (languages spoken). Main languages include: English & Swahili. The term "Kenyan runner" brings to mind a picture of barefoot athletes traipsing through mist-shrouded forests in a land that is literally halfway around the world that produces champion after champion year on year. And even more amazing is that three-fourths of the Kenyan champions come from an ethnic minority of 4.4. Million (the Kalenjin), or 0.06% of global population. ITEN - Home of Champions ITEN, Kenya, For Kenyans in this remote town, widely acclaimed for the marathon talent it produces, a mere victory is insufficient. Resting on an escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley, Iten is increasingly gaining international recognition as the world’s foremost manufacturer of elite middle- and long-distance running talent. The figures speak for themselves. Male and female Kenyans who train here win marathons all over the world. The town of 40,000 people, roughly a quarter of whom are athletes, is also becoming a popular destination for foreigners seeking to hone their skills before races. Champion’s Produced St. Patrick's High School is located in Iten. The school has, over the last 30 years, produced world-class long distance athletes. Alumni include Ibrahim Hussein, winner of three Boston Marathons and one New York City Marathon; Peter Rono, a 1988 Olympic gold medalist at 1,500 meters; Wilson Boit Kipketer, a 1997 world champion and 2000 Olympic silver medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase; Matthew Birir, 1992 Olympic gold medalist at the 3,000-meter steeplechase; and David Rudisha, 2012 Olympic gold medalist and world record holder at 800m. The coach of these athletes, Brother Colm O'Connell of Ireland, came to Iten in 1976 expecting to stay just three months. He has lived in Iten ever since. Each Christmas Eve, the town plays host to the largest women's-only race in Kenya, The Shoe4Africa 5 km. It was in the 2006 edition of this race that world champion Mary Keitany began her athletics career. Eliud Kipchoge (born 5 November 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly the 5000 metres. He won the Olympic marathon in 2016 and is the current marathon world record holder with a time of 2 hours 1 minute 39 seconds becoming the first person in history to go under 2:02 on a record-eligible course. Kipchoge's world record run at the Berlin marathon 2018, broke the previous record by 1 minute, 18 seconds, the greatest improvement since 1967. Described as "the greatest marathoner of the modern era", Kipchoge has won 11 of the 12 marathons he has entered. AWARDS Person of the Year Award From United Nations Kipchoge received the award at a ceremony at the U.N. headquarters in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi. The U.N. cited the 33-year-old’s efforts in spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS, as well as his athletic accomplishments, as reasons for choosing him. UN Person of the Year 2018 David Rudisha David Lekuta Rudisha, (born 17 December 1988) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner. He is the 2012 and 2016 Olympic champion, 2-time World Champion (2011 and 2015), and world record holder in the 800 metres. Rudisha is the first and only person to ever run under 1:41 for the event,[3] and he holds the three fastest, six of the eight fastest, and half of the twenty fastest times ever run in this event. He also holds the world's best time in the 500m, with a time of 57.69,[a]and the African record for the 600m, with a time of 1:13.10. Rudisha has won a record 3 consecutive Track & Field Athlete of the Year awards (tied with Carl Lewis), and also won the IAAF World Athlete of the Year award in 2010. Mary Jepkosgei Keitany Mary Jepkosgei Keitany (born 18 January 1982) is a Kenyan long distance runner. She is the world record holder in a women-only marathon, having won the 2017 London Marathon in a time of 2:17:01. Her half marathon personal best of 1:05:50 is a former women's world record. She also has held the world record at 10 miles (50:05 minutes), 20 kilometres (1:02:36), and 25 kilometres (1:19:53), all of which were set in road races. Records World Road Running Championships Gold medal – first place 2007 Silver medal – second place 2007 Half marathon World Half Marathon Championships Gold medal – first place 2009 Half marathon Gold medal – first place 2009 Team race KEITANY’S CAREER ➔ Keitany embarked upon her chosen career path while still in primary school. ➔ Victory in the local races, gave her the confidence to broaden her horizons by competing in other countries. ➔ Keitany achieved the honour of becoming the seventh fastest runner of all-time in the 2009 Lille Half Marathon. ➔ Keitany has strived relentlessly to excel! She became the first woman to win the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon, covering the distance in less than 66 minutes. ➔ The year 2010 proved to be lucky for Keitany. She bagged two victories; the 2010 Abu Dhabi Half Marathon and the 2010 Berlin 25Km race. ➔ Keitany won the 2012 London Marathon, achieving the distinction of being the third fastest woman. ➔ Keitany’s win at the IAAF Gold Label Road race at the New York City marathon has made her the eighth woman to taste success more than once in the city. ➔ Mary Keitany was awarded the Kenyan Sportswoman of the Year 2012. Source: theguardian.com Training in Iten She train hard 2 times a week with some middle or long workouts and every 3 weeks a long distance training of 35 km or 38 km. The work out can be on the track (10 times 1000m or 6 times 2000m) or also some fartlek outside the track. Source: travel.trade.gov Kenya National Rugby Sevens Team ➔ The Kenya national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games. ➔ They are currently one of the 15 "core teams" of the World Series, with a guaranteed place in all ten events each season. ➔ Kenya recorded its first tournament win in the World Rugby Sevens Series after beating Fiji at the 2016 Singapore Sevens. ➔ Kenya won the eighth round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in dramatic fashion, beating Fiji 30-7 to claim an historic Cup title. KENYA Kenya's geographical and topographical diversity yields a variety of climates, including a warm and humid coastline, temperate savannah grasslands in the interior, temperate and forested hilly areas in the west, arid and semi-arid areas near the Somali border and Lake Turkana, and an Equatorial climate around Lake Victoria, the world's largest tropical freshwater lake. Kenya subsequently support an abundance of flora and fauna, many of which are protected by wildlife reserves and national parks, such as the East and West Tsavo National Park, Amboseli National Park, Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru National Park, and Aberdares National Park. The country is the birthplace of the modern safari and hosts several World Heritage Sites such as Lamu. Kenya is part of the African Great Lakes region, which has been inhabited by humans since the Lower Paleolithic period. By the first millennium C.E., the Bantu expansion had reached the area from West-Central Africa. Its territory was at the crossroads of the Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan and Afroasiatic cultures, today representing most major ethnolinguistic groups in Africa. KENYA IN AFRICA Capital and largest city Nairobi Official languages English & Swahili National language Swahili Ethnic groups 22% Kikuyu 14% Luhya 13% Luo 12% Kalenjin (Marathon Champions) 11% Kamba 6% Kisii 6% Meru 15% other African 1% non-African - Hindu’s, Arabs, white’s “Birth Place of Humanity” Fossils found in Kenya suggest that primates roamed the area more than 20 million years ago. Recent findings near Lake Turkana indicate that hominids such as Homo habilis (1.8 and 2.5 million years ago) and Homo erectus (1.9 million to 350,000 years ago) are possible direct ancestors of modern Homo sapiens, and lived in Kenya in the Pleistocene epoch. During excavations at Lake Turkana in 1984, paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey assisted by Kamoya Kimeu discovered the Turkana Boy, a 1.6-million-year-old fossil belonging to Homo erectus. Swahili, a Bantu language with Arabic, Persian, and other Middle Eastern and South Asian loanwords, later developed as the language for trade between the different peoples. Swahili now also has loan words from English. Nairobi National Park - The World’s Wildlife Capital The Big Five - Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, Leopard & Buffalo.