The Sunday Nation, August 27, 1995 PEOPLE LIFESTYLE 3 youthful millionaires

Old-timers with little to show for their past fame nly the swagger and springy steps reveal the man's relative fitness. The shoulders, sagging under the well·wom coat, and the deeply farrowed face are of a lowly-paid ordinary man. 0 But this man who tends the field at the Kasarani Sports Complex, is not any ordinary civil servant. He is whose gold medal in the 3,000m at the 1968 Mexico Olympics "'as celebrated across the country and elevated the barefoot schoolboy from Njoro High School into an instant national hero. He started a legacy which today is transforming village boys into instant millionaires. One of them is who minted a whacking Sh11 million two weeks ago after breaking a world record in the Zurich Grand Prix. has dominated this event since the Mexico Olympics. A rare defeat was in the 1987 world championships. Today Biwott's name does not even feature among the top 30 fastest athletes in the all­ 'Men who today would be time best yet Kenyans hold the top 10 places. At Salient Trading Centre near Eldoret, millionaires languish in Kiptalam Keter is another forgotten hero, practising small-scale farming. He does not even look. like he ever ran in his youth. poverty. Still they travel to Anybody watching Keter running in the heats of the 1954 could have b1>en forgiven for not believing that Nairobi during the national Keter's country would one day be a dominant 'rce in the BOOm. championships to see the Keter finished in two minutes 0.1.0 seconds ~Wtd "as eliminated in the heats as well as the aext two Commonwealth Games. But the youths. Nothing will keep vend he started remains. Today there is no Biwntt: Poor man who staned a lcttucy that is today transforming village boys into instant ather country with a galaty of athletes in this them from the sport they loved' millionaires cistance capable of winning at any level of competition in the world. Last month Coca Cola Africa decided to they travel to Nairobi during the n_ationftl Jona Birir among others. Here is a man who induct some of them in a new Hall of Fame. Last year Keter got a rare break by accom­ brought 5:lory to Kenya but got nothing in panying the national team to the Comm_on· champion!lhips to se{' the youths. Nothmg wtll However, the commemorative plaque did not keep them from the sport they loved. return. He is not even in KAAA management. carry any cash award which would have done irealth Games. He could not stop marvehng. With the exception of who ••wearing shoes was alien t~ us. 'Whites ,w~uld The great Ben Jipcho is a small-scale farm­ a great deal for the welfare of these athletes. er in Endebess, Trans Nzoia District. He was made a little money in the O'Hara profession­ Many of them could not fail to reflect \\ith c:ome to villages and orgaruse races. \\ e JUSt al circuit in the United States and still collects ian without practising and the best would be one of the trainers who coached the 1990 nostalgia, the good old days when representing world junior championship team which in­ a few dollars here and there in veteran races in the country in major tou in­ told that he would represent the colony in far Europe and the llnited States, the rest of the • av places." cluded Moses Kiptanui, lsmael Kirui (5,000m stant fame but no world champion), Richard Chelimo (siher former stars have been forgotten in villages in The satisfaction was Men who today would be millionaires .lan­ Nakuru, Kisii, Kericho and Eldoret IUish in poverty. But with no hard feelmgs; medallist in the 1992 Bercelona Olympics) and Factors that make sport a multi -billion ente Jiormer hea\y'\\eight boxing SJlan 198i-91. The lf'genda!'Y Mo­ real money spinners. Michael Jor­ Six weeks ago Pete Sampra.s ehamp Mike Tyson pocketed ShUI hammed Ali made $69 million be­ dan, the Chicago Bulls' collectro Sh32 million for '"inning t'\\een 1964 and 1981, ,·ery big the Wimbledon men's title. By thf' llillion in 89 seconds for knot'king basketballer1 '"as three ) ears ago dmm Petl'r McNeel~>y last Satur­ mon~>y then. rated th(' thn'd highest paid enter­ end of the yt>ar he is t>x~cted to dav in his first fight since 1991. However, boxing is not the best tainer in the "orla after pop star gr:oss between Sh90 and Sh120 McNeeley collected Sh25 million, l)nying sport disctpline as it bene­ Michael Jackson and come(fian Bill million so long as he remains at the fit wei~t "-p~~nuts' at the heavyweight only a few in certain Cosby. top_, di\'lSIOn. divisions. Th~ ml\iority_ of the ordi­ Many US National BasketbaJI Golfers like Greg Norman and Thesf' figure5 are but jus-t a nary profeslitonals retire poor. Association leag'!le basketballers Nick Price gross equally lofty ,In, Kenya.z sport sponsorship is are millionaires, ch-a'\\ing hefty sal­ amounts from the circuits in small chunk of what changes ptcking up Jast and sportsmen can llimdl> at the highest le~el in other arif'S and endorst'ments. Africa. Europe, Asia and the Unit­ IIPOrt such as basketball, cvcling, now talk m terms of millions. One The late Ayrton Senna, Nigel ed States. lliotor ra~ing, golf, la'\\n "tenm is motor rally favourite Patrick Mansell and Alan Prost ruled FOr­ Meanwhile, British soccer club horst> racmg ana soccer. Njiru who was signed for a record mula One auto racing for a long owners paid Sh4.8 billion for the 1)•son took boxhur eantings into Sh8.5 million by BAT to sport 555 time, drawing Sh2.R billion annual· transfer of 10 best .players this sea­ Statt• Express colours in ttie Safari "on. Nottingham Forest ~id Liv­ Be\\ heights in 1989 '"hen lte be­ ly each. The men at the helm right eame the first boxer to earn $22 Rail) ana through the local rally­ now lU'e' Michael Schumacher and erpool a whacking Sh731 million to •ill ion in his 90-second fight with ing season. Njiru has a Sh54 mil­ Damon Hill. havt> Stan Collymore. Under pro­ Michael Spinks. lion three·) ear contract with Suba­ Like golf, lawn tennis generates fessional soccer rules, Collymore is But this has already_ been sur· n• Motorsports Group of Japan to lots of money for plavers whose entitled to a cut of this amount. possed by other fights. '1\ -on could drive and tes-t thf'ir cars locally. ra,•ourite playgrounds are the Dennis Berkamp of Half's Inter In the era of commercial tele'fi· , Au"trillia United States Milan moved to Arsenal o Britain be in for another rru\ior pa~ day sion, more and more companies 1 on a Sh645 million transfer. War­ 10on. Promoters are ah-ead~ tnlli­ and Britain Grand Slam . illg of a Tvson-George Foreman are contracting athletes to endorse According to fi~res released by ren Barton was considered the ptatch of wriich the wmner \\OUld their products at vulgar prices. All the Associalion of Tennis Profes­ cheapest playi'r for moving from be guaranteed Sh4.4 billion. tnp athletes including Kenyans are sionals last Monday, Stefti Graf of Wimbledon to Newcastle for Sh344 &>fore he went to jail, 1)~;on endorsed b~ sports goods leads the women with a million. I!Jas reputed to ha' e earned more manufacturers. net income of $1,391.030 Each of these players are guar­ •nn Sh2.8 billion in a career that Soccer, tennis, Formula One rac­ (Shii,89i ,680). anteed annual incomes of nof less Tyson: Billion shillings in 89 ing, basketball and golf are the than Sh400 million. seconds