Running News Daily

Kenya's rich history in the 800 metres has produced some of the finest middle-distance athletes the world has ever witnessed. Across different generations, extraordinary talent, resilience and excellence have transformed the nation into a global powerhouse in the two-lap event. From world records and Olympic triumphs to groundbreaking achievements and inspirational coaching, four remarkable athletes stand out as enduring symbols of Kenya's golden era.

Leading the list is David Rudisha, the undisputed king of the men's 800 metres. His name is synonymous with greatness after redefining what was thought possible over two laps. A two-time Olympic champion and two-time world champion, Rudisha reached the pinnacle of the sport at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where he produced one of the greatest performances in athletics history. His breathtaking world record of 1:40.91, set from the front without the aid of a pacemaker, remains unbeaten and continues to inspire generations of middle-distance runners around the world.

Sharing that unforgettable London final was Timothy Kitum, whose remarkable breakthrough captivated the athletics world. At just 18 years old, he delivered a sensational performance to claim the Olympic bronze medal in a personal best of 1:42.53, a time that still stands as Kenya's national under-20 record. Although he later stepped away from elite competition, Kitum has remained closely connected to the sport, proudly supporting his wife, multiple Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon, as she continues to build one of the greatest careers in middle-distance running history.

On the women's side, Janeth Jepkosgei broke new ground for Kenyan athletics by becoming the country's first female World Champion in the 800 metres. Affectionately known as the "Eldoret Express," she captured the world title in Osaka in 2007 before adding an Olympic silver medal at the Beijing Games in 2008. Her influence, however, extends well beyond the medals she won. After retiring from competition, Jepkosgei dedicated herself to coaching, helping nurture a new generation of Kenyan middle-distance stars.

Among those who benefited most from her guidance was Eunice Sum. Under Jepkosgei's mentorship, Sum blossomed into one of the world's finest 800-metre athletes, winning the World Championship title in Moscow in 2013 before adding a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships. Her rise from promising youngster to global champion stands as a powerful testament to the value of mentorship and the enduring strength of Kenya's middle-distance tradition.

Together, these four icons represent far more than medals and records. They embody the passion, discipline and relentless pursuit of excellence that have made Kenya the benchmark in the 800 metres. Their achievements have inspired generations of athletes, while their legacy continues to shape the future of Kenyan middle-distance running. From world records and Olympic glory to championship titles and coaching excellence, they remain enduring symbols of one of the greatest eras in the history of the 800 metres.

Mary Moraa has promised that she will attack the 800m world record very soon.

Reigning World 800m champion Mary Moraa has promised to go for the 800m world record very soon.

In a post on her Facebook page, Moraa shared a throwback photo of herself and double world record holder Faith Kipyegon. She was in awe of Kipyegon’s record-breaking spree and noted that she is an inspiration to many people.

She said: “When you step out in style with the world's middle distance track finest Faith Kipyegon. A great inspiration. Hii 800m World Record tutavunja siku moja...hivi karibuni (We shall one day break this 800m world record…very soon).”

The women’s world record over the 800m stands at 1:53.28 and was set by Jarmila Kratochvílová 40 years ago.

She clocked the time on July 26, 1983, at the Olympiapark Meeting in Munich’s Olympic Stadium and has remained to be the oldest outdoor world record in the book.

On her part, Moraa’s Personal Best time currently stands at 1:56.03, a time she clocked to win the race at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

By winning the title, she became just but the third Kenyan woman to win the 800m on the global stage. She comes after Janeth Jepkosgei and Eunice Sum who won the titles in 2007 and 2013 respectively.

She has also been banked on severally to break the 800m world record and affirming her fans that she would surely go for it is a sign of light at the end of the tunnel.

The reigning Commonwealth Games champion is gearing up for the Olympic Games in Paris, France next year where she hopes to extend her winning streak. This season, she only lost one 800m race, the Prefontaine Classic.

Mary Moraa has explained why she dedicated her World 800m title to the reigning Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri.

World 800m champion Mary Moraa has disclosed the reason why she dedicated her title to her mentor Hellen Obiri.

The Commonwealth Games champion singled out Obiri, a two-time World 5000m champion, as a great pillar in her career.

Speaking to Nation Sport, Moraa noted that she sees Obiri as her elder sister and she always checks up on her.

Obiri has played a vital role in Moraa’s career since she gifted Kisii Express her first spikes when she began her professional career. The Boston Marathon champion also encouraged Moraa to switch from the 400m to the 800m where she is currently dominating.

“I want to single out Hellen Obiri who has been encouraging me to be consistent on the track as the person who ensured I clinched the gold.

"Obiri is my elder sister and mentor who always checks on me hence I am proud of her,” Moraa said during her heroic homecoming party at the Ichuni grounds in Nyaribari Masaba constituency.

Meanwhile, at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Moraa was in a class of her own as she destroyed a strong field to clinch top honours in the 800m race.

She clocked a Personal Best time of 1:56.03. Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson and USA’s Athing Mu finished second and third respectively in the hotly contested race.

Owing to her win, she became just but the third Kenyan to win the 800m on the global stage after Janeth Jepkosgei and Eunice Sum who won the titles during the 2007 and 2013 editions of the World Championships.

Moraa was also on fire this season, only losing one 800m where she finished fourth at the Prefontaine Classic, the final Diamond League Meeting.

For what she is doing for young runners and the community, Janeth Jepkosgei remains a heroine even after changing her career from an athlete to a coach and mentor.

“I am doing this because of the love I have for running and for the athletes. Running changed my life in a big way. I find great joy in nurturing and guiding young runners and in seeing them begin to excel in their careers as well,” said 2007 world 800m champion Jepkosgei, referring to the numerous selfless contributions she has made to support young runners from different levels and backgrounds and the training camps she has set up to do so.

“For me to become a successful runner, I had to go through a number of good people in my life that helped me, including some of my relatives, my first coach Paul Ereng and later on, coach Claudio Berardelli. I want to be able to give out the same help I received and change lives as well.”

Jepkosgei recalled one incident that moved her to tears, when a young talented runner they had identified attended camp with hardly any belongings.

“The runner came into the camp with one half of an old blanket that she had cut in two pieces and left the other half for her mother to use at home. Eunice Sum (the 2013 world 800m champion) immediately rushed to town and came back with some new bedding for the young runner,” she said.

Around two and half kilometres along the Kapsabet to Nandi Hills road lies some of the most prime lands surrounded by beautiful and evergreen landscapes. Land here could easily be turned into a tea farm, a real estate, a big hotel, a hospital, or anything, given its proximity to town and other social amenities in the area. This is where Jepkosgei’s camp is situated.

Arriving at the camp, which features a big house on the green and a serene environment that Jepkosgei has given out freely to 20 young runners to use for their accommodation, plus a van that takes them to the track facilities and on some of their long runs, there arose a burning question: Why did she decide to establish a free camp for the young runners?

From the way she interacted with the runners, who were clearly elated to see her arrive, one could have easily mistaken her for being just another random runner in the camp as they exchanged a few greetings and some light moments.

Besides this camp, Jepkosgei is also involved with other runners of different levels in different places, including a school holiday camp that hosts and trains around 86 runners when schools close. There are a number of senior runners who went through her hands to the level they are now, and who are still closely connected with her in their training and in guiding the young runners. They include Sum, 2019 world 5000m silver medallist Margaret Kipkemboi and 2013 world 5000m silver medallist Mercy Cherono, among others.

The results from the recent World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi were great news and a great motivation for Jepkosgei and the young runners in the camp to aim for better things in the future. Four runners in the camp qualified for the event and three of them won medals. Emmanuel Wanyonyi won gold in the men’s 800m, Sylvia Chelangat claimed bronze in the women’s 400m and Levy Kibet achieved another bronze in the men’s 5000m. If the camp had entered itself as an individual country, it would have placed joint 15th out of the 114 teams that participated.

Jepkosgei, however, is not letting the one-time victories distract them from focusing on the future. She likes to see patience, long-term continuous progress and success in her runners.

Wanyonyi, who ran an impressive 800m race in Kasarani last month to register a championship record and personal best of 1:43.76, is clearly already a good student of Jepkosgei and he explained how his main focus now is on winning the Olympic title at the Paris Games in 2024.

“Both Wanyonyi and Chelangat seem to have great mindsets that will take them far. Despite not coming from a family or a region that has a history in running, Wanyonyi is already special in showing that talents don’t have to come from a particular region or tribe. Chelangat on her part is specialising in the 400m, which is not a common event among the Kenyan stars,” Jepkosgei said.

While focusing more on coaching the young runners, Jepkosgei still works closely with her former coach, Berardelli, in exchanging notes on how best to guide them. She also has an assistant coach, Hillary Lelei, who is usually stationed at the camp.

“With my past experience as a runner and the working relationship I still have with my former coach, I believe I have what it takes to guide these runners to reach their full potential. But it still is a continuous learning experience. I am learning that it is not obvious that whatever worked for me will work for others, that different training methods may apply differently to different runners,” she said.

“I believe that we need more female coaches in Kenya who can understand and handle young girls well. There are some issues that the girls may feel more comfortable sharing with a female coach than with a male coach.”

A dusty, winding road off Mosoriot-Kabiyet road at the Kamoiywo in Nandi takes you to Muruto junior athletics training camp.

It is along this four kilometre road, which gets muddy whenever it rains, that junior athletes train every day during school holidays.

The camp, which was established in 2015, has been the training base for athletes in track events including 100m, 110m hurdles, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and 10000m. They also train for field events including high jump and pole vault.

With nearly 30 athletes in the camp located in an area described as the source of champions owing to the numerous athletes the region has produced, Muruto has over the years proved to be a unique camp.

Secondary schools, with the interest of establishing formidable athletics teams, have catered for the junior athletes' fees as they seek to nurture the best talents.

For the last five years, the training camp’s coach and founder Andrew Kipkoech says parents have not paid school fees because they encourage secondary school principals to support the students complete their education.

Several athletes, Kipkoech says, will sit for their KCPE exams this year and already, some secondary schools have expressed interest in admitting them.

He says the junior athletes represent their schools in different competitions and their performance in athletics and academics has been impressive.

According to the coach, the camp is on a mission to support juniors from humble backgrounds by growing their careers while seeking to secure them full scholarship opportunities in secondary schools and colleges.

“Those who were expecting to sit for their national examinations in 2020 were to receive their admission letters last December had education not been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. We normally receive their admission letters as we break for Christmas and New Year festivities,” the coach says.

The annual Isaiah Kiplagat Memorial Ndalat Gaa cross country, which takes part in Nandi, was a perfect spot for athletes from the camp put their strength to test.

“I used to expose them to running opportunities in Ndalat Gaa, Tuskys and University of Eldoret cross country competitions where they offered a strong challenge to athletes from well established training camps,” he says.

According to Kipkoech, 2016 is was when the camp started mentoring the juniors through talks from elite athletes including former world 800m world champion Eunice Sum, Faith Chepngetich (former 1500m world champion) and 3,000m steeplechase world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech, among others.

The 2013 800 meters world champion Eunice Sum is focusing on winning an Olympic medal over the distance.

She has been training alone at her home in the leafy suburb of Elgon View in Eldoret following a government directive to ban social gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Nation Sport caught up with her at her maize farm in Ngeria, Uasin Gishu County.

Sum said that she is looking forward to a better season when competition resumes in the new schedule of the Wanda Diamond League in August after some meetings were cancelled owing to Covid-19.

“I have been following a training programme sent to us by our coach, though it’s challenging to train alone. We are used to group training which motivates us to persevere,” she said.

Sum is back to the drawing board after three races she was supposed to compete in were called off across the globe because of the virus.

She hopes to use the Diamond League races to sharpen her skills ahead of the Olympics Games that were moved to next year.

“I was in good shape for the cancelled races. I now want to use the Diamond League races to rectify small mistakes as I focus on the Olympic Games,” she said.

The athlete is also preparing to participate in the World Athletics Continental Tour which was moved to September 26 in Nairobi.

“All is not lost, and my training has been going on well. I want to improve my personal best time,” Sum said.

Concerning the Olympics Games, she said she has enough time to prepare. Her aim is to win a medal.

“My goal at the Olympics Games will be a top three finish because I’m missing an Olympic medal in my cabinet of trophies,” added Sum.

Jackline Wambui, who won the 800 metres at the Kenyan trials, and Linda Kageha, who was in the mixed relay team, have withdrawn from the world championships after failing to take mandatory testosterone level tests, an Athletics Kenya (AK) official said on Thursday.

AK Vice President in charge of competitions Paul Mutwii said Wambui and Kageha had declined the mandatory test and withdrew from the global showpiece event in Doha.

“The IAAF has set tough conditions on gender and doping and we must comply. If an athlete fails to take the tests, they are definitely out of the (world) championships,” Mutwii told Reuters.

“Wambui and Kageha declined the test on testosterone levels. They had no choice but to withdraw,” said Mutwii.

Wambui’s withdrawal left 2013 world champion Eunice Sum as Kenya’s only entrant in the women’s 800m event.

Michael Kibet and Daniel Simiyu, who finished first and second in the 5,000 metres at the Kenyan trials, are awaiting clearance to run in the world championships after not meeting Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) criteria for three out-ofcompetition and one in-competition doping tests, Mutwii said.

“We have, however, entered them pending clearance from AIU. We expect a response from AIU by Monday next week,” the official added.

Nicholas Kibet and Jacob Krop, who finished third and fourth at the trials, have been entered.

“We have entered Krop so that we have two athletes in case AIU fails to clear Kibet and Simiyu,” Mutwii said.

Reigning men’s 1,500 metres world champion Elijah Manangoi pulled out of the Doha event this week due to an ankle injury.

The world championships run from Sept. 27 to Oct. 6.

Africa 5,000 meters champion Edward Zakayo hopes he will have fully recovered from an illness as he prepares battle in his specialty as the trials for the IAAF World Championships get underway at the Nyayo National Stadium on Thursday.

At the same time, the 2015 world 3,000m steeplechase champion Hyvin Kiyeng, who is eager to reclaim her title, has thrown down the gauntlet for her rivals ahead of the straight final.

The men and women’s 800m semi-finals are saturated with some of the country’s top cream, with former world 800m champions Eunice Sum (2013) and Janeth Jepkosgei (2007) out to try their luck.

United States-based Emmanuel Korir and Michael Saruni, who arrived in the country two weeks ago, and 2016 Diamond League Series 800m winner Ferguson Rotich, are among the star-attractions in men’s two-lap race semi-finals.

Athletics Kenya will select a squad of 46 athletes for the World Championships slated for Sept 28 to Oct 6 in Doha, Qatar.

Zakayo, the World Under-20 Championships’ 5,000m champion, was hit by pneumonia immediately after arriving from the African Games in Rabat last week where he won silver in the 5,000m.