Ugandan Stephen Kiprotich, Marathon Olympic Champion 2012, shows that mountain running is athletics!
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Stephen Kiprotich run the race of his life to become only the second Ugandan to win Olympic Gold (John Akii-Bua won the 400m hurdles in the 1972 Games in Munich to bag the first ever gold).
He is a long-distance , runner and his career shows to everybody that among the discipline of athletics there is also mountain running.
Uganda Athletics Federation was one , of the first Federation in Africa that considered mountain running as discipline of athletics and decided that a great number of its runners must take part to international ,mountain races, ,at the same time competing in marathon or cross country or track (10 km., 5 km. ,or 3.000 mt steeplechase): it seems a winning policy!" "
Kiprotich was born on 27 February 1989 in Kapchorwa.
At the age of seventeen he moved to Eldoret, Kenya to pursue his career as a long distance runner. He is the youngest of seven children.
This year alone Kiprotich had four international exposures in the marathon, 30km and half marathon with three events in Tokyo and the other in Manchester to given him enough preparation for the Olympics.
He is now the 2012 Olympic Marathon champion after stunning a field with a host of Kenyans and Ethiopians.
Kiprotich's win puts the 23yr old in an elite group of Ugandan athletes who have tasted Olympic success. Uganda's other Olympic medalists are boxers Eridad Mukwanga (silver, 1968), Leo Rwabwogo (bronze, 1969 and silver, 1972), John Mugabi (silver, 1980) and middle distance runner Davis Kamoga (bronze, 1996).
As told, all knows the Stephen Kiprotich honor's race like follow:
- cross country: finished 6. at the 39. IAAF World Cross Country Championships 2011 (Punta Umbrí,a) and 23. at 37. IAAF World Cross Country Championships 2009 (Amman) and when he was Junior he finished 12. at 36. IAAF World Cross Country Championships 2008 (Edinburgh), 19. at the 35. IAAF World Cross Country Championships 2007 (Mombasa) and 24. at the 34. IAAF World Cross Country Championships2006 (Fukuoka).
- 10 km.: finished 6. Senior in the 2010 Africa Championships in Nairobi and 5. Junior at 12th IAAF World Junior Championships 2008 (Bydgoszcz),
- 5 km: he run an heat (finished 16.) at 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics 2007 at Osaka.
- marathon: finished 9. in the 13. IAAF World Athletics Championship in Daegu 2011, his personal best in marathon is 2:07:20 run on 2011 in Enschede.
But a very few people remember and note that Stephen Kiprotich finished 5. senior at the 26. WMRA World Mountain Running Championships 2010 at Kamnik (Slovenia) and was also fourth as member of Uganda Team in the Nation result (behind Eritrea, USA and Italy)!
No words more, but it is a pity that in the statistics information the results in mountain running are often forgot!
He is a long-distance , runner and his career shows to everybody that among the discipline of athletics there is also mountain running.
Uganda Athletics Federation was one , of the first Federation in Africa that considered mountain running as discipline of athletics and decided that a great number of its runners must take part to international ,mountain races, ,at the same time competing in marathon or cross country or track (10 km., 5 km. ,or 3.000 mt steeplechase): it seems a winning policy!" "
Kiprotich was born on 27 February 1989 in Kapchorwa.
At the age of seventeen he moved to Eldoret, Kenya to pursue his career as a long distance runner. He is the youngest of seven children.
This year alone Kiprotich had four international exposures in the marathon, 30km and half marathon with three events in Tokyo and the other in Manchester to given him enough preparation for the Olympics.
Kiprotich's win puts the 23yr old in an elite group of Ugandan athletes who have tasted Olympic success. Uganda's other Olympic medalists are boxers Eridad Mukwanga (silver, 1968), Leo Rwabwogo (bronze, 1969 and silver, 1972), John Mugabi (silver, 1980) and middle distance runner Davis Kamoga (bronze, 1996).
As told, all knows the Stephen Kiprotich honor's race like follow:
- cross country: finished 6. at the 39. IAAF World Cross Country Championships 2011 (Punta Umbrí,a) and 23. at 37. IAAF World Cross Country Championships 2009 (Amman) and when he was Junior he finished 12. at 36. IAAF World Cross Country Championships 2008 (Edinburgh), 19. at the 35. IAAF World Cross Country Championships 2007 (Mombasa) and 24. at the 34. IAAF World Cross Country Championships2006 (Fukuoka).
- 10 km.: finished 6. Senior in the 2010 Africa Championships in Nairobi and 5. Junior at 12th IAAF World Junior Championships 2008 (Bydgoszcz),
- 5 km: he run an heat (finished 16.) at 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics 2007 at Osaka.
- marathon: finished 9. in the 13. IAAF World Athletics Championship in Daegu 2011, his personal best in marathon is 2:07:20 run on 2011 in Enschede.
But a very few people remember and note that Stephen Kiprotich finished 5. senior at the 26. WMRA World Mountain Running Championships 2010 at Kamnik (Slovenia) and was also fourth as member of Uganda Team in the Nation result (behind Eritrea, USA and Italy)!
No words more, but it is a pity that in the statistics information the results in mountain running are often forgot!
News by WMRA (Bruno Gozzelino) thanking IAAF and Uganda Athletics Federation.
Picture:
On front page:
- Kiprotich run at Kamnik (source Gerry Brady)
On second page:
- Kiprotich winner London Olympic marathon (source AAP) ,