By Benedict Ngetich
Mzee Kiprugut Chumo, the hero who pioneered the list of champion athletes who put Kenya in the global map, has passed on.
Kiprugut, the first ever Kenyan Olympic medalist, collapsed at his Kipchebor home near Kericho town on Tuesday and was pronounced dead at Siloam Hospital.
Kiprugut’s last born son, Gideon Kipngeno, said his elderly father succumbed to cardiac arrest. He went on to add that his dad had been well until he started having difficulty in breathing and collapsed at 1:30 pm.
“Though we are sad we lose him, we accept God’s will,” said Kipngeno.
He described his dad as a hero and appealed to Kericho Governor Erick Mutai’s administration to follow through with the proposals for the Kericho Green Stadium to be renamed Kiprugut Chumo in honour of the legendary athlete.
“We want the memory of our father to be kept alive. He brought so much honour and pride to the country and that is the least the county of the government Kericho can do for him,” he said.
For all of Kiprugut’s achievements, nothing has been named after his honour. In fact, no one has even bothered to note that the Kenyan flag was hoisted internationally for the first time ever in his honor in 1964.
Kericho District Sports Officer Charles Ngerechi said he is working closely with the Kericho county government to ensure that the Kericho Green Stadium is named after Kiprugut Chumo.
Since Kenya first participated in the Olympic Games in 1956, winning medals proved a hard nut to crack.
But Kiprugut opened the floodgates in the athletics field in Africa and in particular, Kenya.
During a past interview, Kiprugut told Education News that before his good performance, the Kenyan team had been trailing behind other teams since they were trained by unqualified coaches.
“During that time, every good thing belonged to whites and the best coaches were attached to Europeans. Our black side was poorly coached,” he said, adding that, “I copied what a Canadian trainer was instructing some athletes and perfected the skills until I emerged a winner.”
Kiprugut said they used to train at the Kenya Institute of Administration at Lower Kabete, as training grounds like Nyayo Stadium didn’t exist.
He became the first Kenyan and African ever to win a medal when he won a bronze medal in the 800 meters at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 1964.
He claimed he took third position after allegedly being pushed by another athlete.
He added that since then, he learnt to be a front starter to avoid mischievous colleagues who might want him to fall down.
He revealed that the Tokyo medal opened the success of his career
The medal is inscribed, “XVIII, OLYMPIAD TOKYO 1964 ATHLETICS. THE JAPANESE MINT.”
Kiprugut revealed that he won two Gold medals (400metres and 800 meters) at the All Africa Games Athletics in 1965.
In 1967, he emerged second at the indoor games in Toronto Canada.
He thereafter won a Silver medal at the Summer Olympics held at Mexico City in 1968 after sprinting for 1 minute 44.5 seconds.
Asked about the performances of other Kenyan athletes, Kiprugut said that most were very good but were scared of the new environments. He nostalgically talked assisting athletes like Robert Ouko (800m) and Mike Boit (800m).
He revealed that he is not saddened much by the lack of recognition from the government which took 47 years to invite him to the recent Heroes Day celebrations at Nyayo stadium.
“As a Christian, I thank God for what he has done to me: the good health, my family and children. Such happiness is rare to find,” he said.
Kiprugut Chumo attended Kaptebeswet Primary school in the 1950s before proceeding to Sitotwet Intermediate School, 25 kilometers from his home.
He used to trek daily to school and that built on his stamina.
Kiprugut narrated that in 1959, he was recruited to the then Kings African Rifles (KAR) by an army Captain who saw his potential in athletics. He proceeded to specialize in driving.
After retiring from the army, he joined Unilever Tea Company then Brooke Bond Tea where he worked as a Field Assistant for 22 years.
Kiprugut advised athletes to concentrate on doubling their speed especially at the homestretch saying, that’s what differentiates the winner from the others.
He urged them not to be so focused on monetary gains.
He expressed pride that with the implementation of the new constitution, athletes can enjoy dual citizenship and urged the athletes to take advantage of that provision to reap maximum profits globally.
After leaving active athletics competitions, the athlete shifted focus to nurturing upcoming athletes.
Kiprugut is among the founders of Kakibei Athletics camp. He approached Professor Mike Boit to facilitate scholarships for athletes from his region. He also sourced money from local Members of Parliament to assist in training some youth.
