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Kenyan running legend Wilson Kipplegut dies at 84

Athletics Kenya mourns middle-distance runner, first athlete to win an Olympic medal Wilson Kipplegutdied Tuesday at the age of 84 after a long illness.

Kiprugut competed in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics, winning two medals (bronze and silver) in the men’s 800 meters. In 1964 he also competed in the 400 m, but failed to reach the final.

He was not only the first Kenyan athlete to win an Olympic medal in any sport, but also the first African athlete to beat 1:46 in the 800m (1:45.9).

Kipplegut started running at a young age to commute to school, which is 15 kilometers away. His talents did not become apparent until he was recruited by the Kenya Defense Forces in 1959 and began unloading other soldiers during training.

When Kenya first participated in the Olympic Games in 1956, it was difficult to win a medal. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, the country won a total of eight medals in athletics. Kip Keino in the men’s 1500m.

At the time, Kippurgut’s performance was seen as a breakthrough for Kenya’s athletics on the international stage and inspired many world-class athletes.

a Athletics Kenya Statement praised him as “a lovable and kind person who selflessly made his country proud on the world stage.”

In 2010, for his contributions to the sport, Kiprugut was awarded Kenya’s Sportsman of the Year award and was inducted into the Kenya Sports Hall of Fame. In 2021, he hoped to return to Tokyo to celebrate winning Kenya’s first medal, but unfortunately the pandemic prevented him from returning.



Kenyan running legend Wilson Kipplegut dies at 84

Source link Kenyan running legend Wilson Kipplegut dies at 84

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