Olympians feted

BY OMULO OKOTH

KENYA: Kenya’s pioneer Olympians were on Friday night feted in a nostalgic and glitzy gala that brought the old and the current generations of world class athletes together.

The function at the five-star Safari Park Hotel brought back fond memories of a young independent nation, hardly one year into self-rule, winning a bronze medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Wilson Kiprugut arap Chumo, who won 800m bronze, Kenya’s first ever Olympic medal, and silver in Mexico four years later, sent the packed hall into delirium with his athletic poise of an athlete about to start a race, complete with military gait and salute, which belied his 74 years of age.

Good company

And he was in good company of William Tanui and Wilfred Bungei, who won the two-lap race in subsequent Olympics in Barcelona (1992) and Beijing (2008).

The function, organised by the Kenyan Olympic governing body, NOCK and funded by pension fund body, NSSF, was part of the Kenya@50 celebrations, which started in earnest for sports people with the Sports Personality of Year Awards (SOYA) on Tuesday.

There were 12 former Olympic gold medallists, seven silver medallists, Commonwealth Games and world champions and world record holders of years gone.

“The first Kenyan to win this medal, the first to enter these games…” was the refrain by the emcees.

It was an evening that underlined Kenya’s marque position in global sports, something like a museum.

“How can the Cabinet Secretary miss such a function?” asked Rachel Kamweru, a renowned sports personality. “He won’t find these legends again at one sitting. This is a nation’s history,” she said.

Nyantika Maiyoro and Bartonjo Rotich, who started Kenya’s long journey to global athletics stardom in 1950s left the audience staring at one another as they picked their souvenir give-aways and a token.

Maiyoro uses a walking stick to gain a quicker pace, but is upright all the same, while Rotich, at 84, is more spritely and healthier.

A melancholic mood engulfed the hall when it was announced that their teammates at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver and 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Arere Anentia, Kiptalam Keter, Kanuti Sum and Joseph Lereresai, had departed. They were, however, recognised for their service to Olympic movement.

The 4x400m relay Olympic champions in Munich in 1972 were in their true element, posing for photographers in the order in which they ran – Charles Asati, Hezekiah Nyamau, Robert Ouko, and Julius Sang, who has also passed on, but was represented by Olympian wife Tecla Chemabwai and their two daughters.

Naftali Bon, part of the cast in 1968 Mexico Olympics 4x400m silver medal quartet, has a pronounced stoop, like Amos Biwot, the first Kenyan Olympic 3,000m steeplechase gold medallist, but all elicited joyous moment among the gathering.

If the presence of pioneer women champions Sabina Chebichi, ‘Peticot Princess’, Tegla Loroupe, Chemabwai, Catherine Ndereba and Ruth Waithera illustrated the long journey by the women to global stage, that of steeplechase Olympics gold medallists – Biwott (1968), Julius Korir (84), Julius Kariuki (88), Mathew Birir (92) and Joseph Keter (96) brought a whole new philosophy to the athletics generation -- winning an Olympic gold is the single most enduring achievement of a sporting career.

Cross country legends John Ngugi and Paul Tergat equally charged the crowd.

Boxing superstars

Aside from athletics stars, boxing trailblazers like Olympics silver medallist Philip Waruinge, Dick ‘Tiger’ Murunga, Stephen Muchoki and Ibrahim ‘Surf’ Bilali reminded the audience of the era gone by when Kenyan boxers rode roughshod over their rivals in the continent.

Former hockey player and coach Avtar Singh was present to pick his present, while Hardev Singh, another hockey legend, was represented by his son.

Shooter Shoaid Adam and pioneer weightlifter Pius Ochieng’ made an evening interspersed with the magical Safari Cats performers, a memorable one.