History of Kenya's Medals at the Olympics “To live among people who don't think that running is ridiculous, no matter how hard their lives are, but who value running and the opportunity it brings, who revere it, almost. Even if you never become an Olympic champion, or even manage to race abroad, just being an athlete here seems to lift you above the chaos of daily life. It marks you out as one of the special people, who've chosen a path of dedication and commitment. You can see it in the runners' eyes when they talk to you. Even the slowest of the runners talk about their training with an almost religious devotion. […] Running matters.” – A. Finn, Running with the Kenyans: Passion, Adventure, and Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth. Brief Overview of Kenya at the Olympic Games According to Statista , Kenya is ranked 30th on the all-time Olympic Games medal table (from 1896 to 2016) with a total of 100 medals. The highest of any African nation. The USA has been the most successful nation of all times at the Summer Olympic Games, having amassed a total of 2,520 medals since the first Olympics in 1896. The dominance of the USA can be shown in the fact that only two other nations, Russia and Germany, have reached a combined medal tally of 1,000. Even so, Kenya has excelled at the games considering that most of her medals have been bagged in five events. Of these medals won, 85% have been in athletics alone. The most gainful athletics events include 3000m steeplechase, 800m, 5000m and 10,000m. On top of that, it's rather impressive if yourself consider that 70% of all titlist athletes including the top-25 world marathon performers since 1990 come from one cultural community – The Kalenjins. Put differently, the Kalenjin, who live in the midwest area of Kenya, have produced about 62% of all distance-running world champions. A record breaking triumph from a community which accounts for only 0.0004% of the world’s population. Ethnic assignment in Kenya is based primarily on linguistic and geographical factors, with the Kalenjin fortunate to live in the fertile high-altitude area. Their emergence and dominance is only bettered by an increase in the contribution of men in the top-20 all-time performances in the track distance events (800-m and upward) from 13.3% in 1986 to 55.8% in 2003. The improvement has been impressive, as cited in the journal Analysis of the Kenyan Distance-Running Phenomenon: "Kenyan men (by birth) have bagged 43 out of the possible 108 medals (41%) in distance events at the Olympic Games since 1990 and have claimed the team title at 24 of the last 27 world cross-country championships dating back to 1986: From their first medal in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo to the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) World Athletics Championships in 2019". The domination of Kenya in long-distance running has oftentimes been attributed to a unique genetic explanation, which is overtly premature. In contrast, hard work, lifestyle and cultural factors would better explain the topping results, as well as the collective knowledge of the close knit and linguistically linked Kalenjin Community. Research has yet to give away a gene or even a combination of genes that is conclusively linked to performance. Kenya's Entourage at 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Image Courtesy of All Vibes Long Distance Running in Kenya Long-distance running is becoming a fashionable prospect for athletes from all corners of the world – even in the United States of America. Not too long ago, the dominance of African nations, particularly Kenya, in competitive distance-running was the subject of much fascination. Kenya throws its hat in the ring of virtually all long-distance events, from the two-laps 800m up to the genteel 42 km marathon. The only track races still elusive to the Kenyans are the sprints, yet, the appraising work in the 400m affair, that waltz on an unhesitating pace, reflects the enthusiasm in athletics. If there's a race that convincingly conjures images of Kenya's emergence and dominance of long-distance running, it is the 3,000m steeplechase. You can almost hear the celebrations even before the race begins. Every time Kenya has turned up for the Olympics, it has won gold in the 3,000m steeplechase. An event that has honoured Kenya with endless praise as the ultimate performer in long-distance running. And the 7 lap race crossing 28 barriers and 7 water jumps is a brutal face-off, once described by the legendary Kipchoge Keino as "a race for animals". The 3,000m steeplechase requires the finishing speed of a miler, stamina of a cross country runner and strength of the 400m hurdler. It was introduced to the Olympics in 1920 as a special event to popularize the games. The winner of that inaugural race was Percy Hodge from Great Britain. In spite of not reaching the podium until 1968, Kenya is now the most successful nation at the 3,000m steeplechase. It has won every men's title since 1968, excepting 1976 and 1980 when Kenya boycotted. Hitherto, Finland had won four consecutive gold medals (1924, 28, 32, 36), Great Britain had won it twice (1920 and 1956), once to the United States (1952), and Belgium (1964). Continue Reading… Kenya at the Olympics – An Overview and All-time Medal Table 11 Kenyan Gold Medals in the 3,000m Olympic Steeplechase Kenya's Olympic Marathon History – A Long Time in the Waiting Kenya's Performance in the Olympic 5,000m & 10,000m Event Kenya's Heroes and Heroines in the 800m Olympic Events Kenya's Olympic All-time Medal Table Medal Name Games Event Bronze Wilson Kiprugut 1964 Tokyo Men's 800 m Gold Naftali Temu 1968 Mexico Men's 10000 m Gold Kipchoge Keino 1968 Mexico Men's 1500 m Gold Amos Biwott 1968 Mexico 3000 m steeplechase Silver Benjamin Kogo 1968 Mexico 3000 m steeplechase Silver Daniel Rudisha Munyoro Nyamau Naftali Bon Charles Asati 1968 Mexico Men's 4 × 400 m relay Silver Kipchoge Keino 1968 Mexico Men's 5000 m Bronze Naftali Temu 1968 Mexico Men's 5000 m Silver Wilson Kiprugut 1968 Mexico Men's 800 m Bronze Philip Waruinge 1968 Mexico Men's featherweight Gold Kipchoge Keino 1972 Munich 3000 m steeplechase Gold Charles Asati Munyoro Nyamau Robert Ouko Julius Sang 1972 Munich Men's 4 × 400 m relay Silver Kipchoge Keino 1972 Munich Men's 1500 m Silver Ben Jipcho 1972 Munich 3000 m steeplechase Silver Philip Waruinge 1972 Munich Men's featherweight Bronze Julius Sang 1972 Munich Men's 400 m Bronze Mike Boit 1972 Munich Men's 800 m Bronze Samuel Mbugua 1972 Munich Men's lightweight Bronze Dick Murunga 1972 Munich Men's welterweight Gold Julius Korir 1984 Los Angeles 3000 m steeplechase Bronze Michael Musyoki 1984 Los Angeles Men's 10000 m Bronze Ibrahim Bilali 1984 Los Angeles Men's flyweight Gold Julius Kariuki 1988 Seoul 3000 m steeplechase Gold John Ngugi 1988 Seoul Men's 5000 m Gold Paul Ereng 1988 Seoul Men's 800 m Gold Peter Rono 1988 Seoul Men's 1500 m Gold Robert Wangila 1988 Seoul Men's welterweight Silver Peter Koech 1988 Seoul 3000 m steeplechase Silver Douglas Wakiihuri 1988 Seoul Men's Marathon Bronze Kipkemboi Kimeli 1988 Seoul Men's 10000 m Bronze Chris Sande 1988 Seoul Men's middleweight Gold Matthew Birir 1992 Barcelona 3000 m steeplechase Gold William Tanui 1992 Barcelona Men's 800 m Silver Richard Chelimo 1992 Barcelona Men's 10000 m Silver Patrick Sang 1992 Barcelona 3000 m steeplechase Silver Paul Bitok 1992 Barcelona Men's 5000 m Silver Nixon Kiprotich 1992 Barcelona Men's 800 m Bronze William Mutwol 1992 Barcelona 3000 m steeplechase Bronze Samson Kitur 1992 Barcelona Men's 400 m Gold Joseph Keter 1996 Atlanta 3000 m steeplechase Silver Paul Tergat 1996 Atlanta Men's 10000 m Silver Moses Kiptanui 1996 Atlanta 3000 m steeplechase Silver Paul Bitok 1996 Atlanta Men's 5000 m Silver Pauline Konga 1996 Atlanta Women's 5000 m Bronze Stephen Kipkorir 1996 Atlanta Men's 1500 m Bronze Fred Onyancha 1996 Atlanta Men's 800 m Bronze Erick Wainaina 1996 Atlanta Men's Marathon Gold Noah Ngeny 2000 Sydney Men's 1500 m Gold Reuben Kosgei 2000 Sydney 3000 m steeplechase Silver Paul Tergat 2000 Sydney Men's 10000 m Silver Wilson Kipketer 2000 Sydney 3000 m steeplechase Silver Erick Wainaina 2000 Sydney Men's Marathon Bronze Bernard Lagat 2000 Sydney Men's 1500 m Bronze Joyce Chepchumba 2000 Sydney Women's Marathon Gold Ezekiel Kemboi 2004 Athens 3000 m steeplechase Silver Bernard Lagat 2004 Athens Men's 1500 m Silver Brimin Kipruto 2004 Athens 3000 m steeplechase Silver Isabella Ochichi 2004 Athens Women's 5000 m Silver Catherine Ndereba 2004 Athens Women's Marathon Bronze Paul Kipsiele 2004 Athens 3000 m steeplechase Bronze Eliud Kipchoge 2004 Athens Men's 5000 m Gold Asbel Kiprop 2008 Beijing Men's 1500 m Gold Brimin Kiprop Kipruto 2008 Beijing 3000 m steeplechase Gold Wilfred Bungei 2008 Beijing Men's 800 m Gold Samuel Wanjiru 2008 Beijing Men's Marathon Gold Pamela Jelimo 2008 Beijing Women's 800 m Gold Nancy Lagat 2008 Beijing Women's 1500 m Silver Janeth Jepkosgei 2008 Beijing Women's 800 m Silver Catherine Ndereba 2008 Beijing Women's Marathon Silver Eunice Jepkorir 2008 Beijing 3000 m steeplechase Silver Eliud Kipchoge 2008 Beijing Men's 5000 m Bronze Richard Mateelong 2008 Beijing 3000 m steeplechase Bronze Micah Kogo 2008 Beijing Men's 10000 m Bronze Edwin Cheruiyot Soi 2008 Beijing Men's 5000 m Bronze Alfred Kirwa Yego 2008 Beijing Men's 800 m Bronze Sylvia Kibet 2008 Beijing Women's 5000 metres Bronze Linet Masai 2008 Beijing Women's 10000 metres Gold Ezekiel Kemboi 2012 London 3000 m steeplechase Gold David Rudisha 2012 London Men's 800 m Silver Sally Kipyego 2012 London Women's 10000 m Silver Priscah Jeptoo 2012 London Women's Marathon Silver Vivian Cheruiyot 2012 London Women's 5000 m Silver Abel Kirui 2012 London Men's Marathon Bronze Vivian Cheruiyot 2012 London Women's 10000 m Bronze Abel Mutai 2012 London 3000 m steeplechase Bronze Milcah Cheywa 2012 London Women's steeplechase Bronze Timothy Kitum 2012 London Men's 800 m Bronze Thomas Longosiwa 2012 London Men's 5000 m Bronze Wilson Kipsang 2012 London Men's Marathon Bronze Pamela Jelimo 2012 London Women's 800 m Gold David Rudisha 2016 Rio Men's 800 m Gold Conseslus Kipruto 2016 Rio 3000 m steeplechase Gold Eliud Kipchoge 2016 Rio Men's Marathon Gold Faith Kipyegon 2016 Rio Women's 1500 m Gold Jemimah Sumgong 2016 Rio Women's Marathon Gold Vivian Cheruiyot 2016 Rio Women's 5000 m Silver Helen Obiri 2016 Rio Women's 5000 m Silver Hyvin Jepkemoi 2016 Rio Women's steeplechase Silver Vivian Cheruiyot 2016 Rio Women's 10000 m Silver Boniface Mucheru 2016 Rio Men's 400m hurdles Silver Paul Tanui 2016 Rio Men's 10000 m Silver Julius Yego 2016 Rio Men's Javelin Bronze Margaret Wambui 2016 Rio Women's 800 m

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