Growing Up as ‘Chepkite’, the little one

Tegla Loroupe was born on May 9, 1973 in the Kapsait village of the Pokot tribe, of northern Kenya. Having a small frame, she grew being called ‘Chepkite – little one’ by her 24 siblings. Her father Losiwa who had four wives and 25 children made the older kids work in the fields, tend to cattle, and look after their younger siblings. Children’s education was not on his agenda.

Loroupe was allowed to attend Kapsait Elementary school only after her mother and older sister Albina persuaded her father. Since transport was a luxury in her village, she ran every day 9 kilometres to and from school. While this continued she slowly began to race other older children on their way back from school. That’s when Loroupe thought of becoming a runner. Of course, nobody in school or at home would support this decision except her mother.

Tegla later joined the Rift Valley Technical College to study accounting and auditing.

In November 2009, President Kibaki presented Tegla an Honorary Doctorate of Science on Peace and Conflict Studies (Honoris Causa) from the Masinde Muliro University of Science & Technology.

Tegla thanks her mother for two sentences that helped her become what she is and stands for today “You can endure pain, so one day you will be the best.” and, “If you own property yourself, you are not the property of a man.” Both of which she followed to the tee!

Get, set, go Tegla Loroupe

Tegla approached the Kenyan athletics federation, Athletics Kenya, but they turned her away thinking she was too small and too thin to run. But after she won the cross country barefoot race in 1988, Kenya noticed a winner. In the same year, Athletics Kenya came forward to train Tegla Loroupe to compete internationally. At the age of 15, Chepkite entered Kenyan national athletics team. Known to run bare feet since childhood, Tegla earned her first pair of running shoes in 1989, which she later saved up for few rough races. It all began with her getting nominated for the junior race of the 1989 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. She finished in 28^th position. Again in 1990, she competed for the junior race of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, this time finishing 16th. From then on there was no turning back, the race to excel had begun.

Tegla earned the distinct record for Marathon wins –

• First Kenyan to set a World Marathon Best
• Three-time World Half-marathon Champion
• Winner and Two-time world record holder in the marathon
• Kenyan National record holder at 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m
• Bronze medal 1993 World half Marathon Championships
• Bronze Medal 1995 and 1999 World Championships 10,000m
• New York City Marathon Champion 1994 and 1995
• Rotterdam Marathon Champion 1997, 1998 and 1999
• Osaka International Ladies Marathon 1999
• Berlin Marathon Champion 1999
• London Marathon Champion 2000
• Rome Millennium Marathon Champion 2000
• Lausanne Marathon 2002
• Cologne Marathon in 2003 and
• Leipzig Marathon in 2004.

(Data courtesy: Athlete 365 and Wiki)

Once turned away by the Kenya Athletics Federation, Tegla Loroupe, is now a Member National Olympic Committee of Kenya.

The Olympics Run

Tegla competed in the marathon at the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, and Sydney in 2000. During the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, she was the favorite contender expected to win the marathon and the 10,000 meters but due to food poisoning the night before the race she could only finish 13^th in the Marathon. Next day, at the 10,000 metres, she finished in 5^th position. Both races she ran barefoot.

Awards

• 2016 Awarded UN Person of the Year
• 2016 Received Father John Kaiser Human Rights Award
• 2015 Entered NYRR Hall of Fame
• 2014 Billie Jean King Contribution Award
• 2014 Received Transform Kenya Award in Sports category
• 2014 Special Award Suomen – Urheilu Sports Gala, Finland

Loroupe’s biggest successes include world records over 20, 25 and 30 kilometres in marathon distance. She held the One Hour running World record of 18,340 m set in Borgholzhausen, Germany, until Dire Tune of Ethiopia set a new record in 2008 (18,517 m).

Tegla Peace Foundation

The idea of the Tegla Loroupe’s Peace Race: a ten-kilometre sporting competition between warriors from rival tribes led to setting up the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation in 2003. The foundation’s mission is ‘to promote peaceful co-existence and socioeconomic development of poor and marginalized individuals and communities in Northern Kenya and the Greater Horn of Africa Region’.

In Kapenguria, 50 kilometers away from her birthplace Kapsait, Tegla has set up the ‘Peace and Leadership School’, to provide education to girls. The school also offers protection from abuse, forced marriage and genital mutilation, which is still prevalent in among in Africa. Today more than 400 orphans live and study here. The school also intends to find and nurture sports talent in local children.

Tegla rubs shoulders with the likes of Usain Bolt, Roger Federer, Barack Obama, Emanuel Macron, George Clooney, and many other stars. She speaks of her journey and the Peace Foundation at prominent gatherings like Hague talks.

The Race is far from the FINISH 

Tegla continues to serve as,

• Ambassador of the International Association of Atheletics Federation (IAAF),
• Ambassador UNICEF,
• Member of NOK Kenya,
• Ambassador and Laureus Academy Member since 2015,
• Ambassador of the development aid organisation Oxfam,
• Volunteer at World Vision, and
• Is most likely be the chosen as Chief-de-mission of the Team at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.

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The most successful athlete of World Championships, Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter, and fastest man in the world and has earned the media nickname “Lightning Bolt”. He is a track and field legend and world record holder, who is awarded the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year (four times), BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year (three times), IAAF World Athlete of the Year (twice) and Track & Field Athlete of the Year (one time). Usain Bolt is the only sprinter to win 9 Olympic Gold Medals at three consecutive Olympics – 2008, 2012 and 2016 participating in 100m, 200m, and 4×100m relay. Sadly, in 2017 the International Olympic Committee took away Bolt’s Gold Medal for 4x100m relay (2008) because his team member Nesta Carter was found guilty of consuming drugs.

In 2019, Usain Bolt’s net worth was estimated at USD 90 million.

Track and field is a sport where hundredths of seconds separate the winner. The man who’d beat Michael Johnson’s records after 16 years had finally arrived. In his most illustrious sports career, Usain Bolt represented Jamaica in the men’s athletics in 100 meters, 200 meters and 4 × 100 meters relay events bring home a total of 23 Gold medals, 5 Silver medals and 1 Bronze medal. He participated in track and field events at the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Relays, CAC Championships, Commonwealth Games, World Junior Championships, and World Youth Championships. Beyond participating and winning medals, Bolt holds 19 Guinness World Records. 

Usain St Leo Bolt, a former sprinter retired in 2017 after he suffered an injury at IAAF Worlds Championships in London on August 12, 2017. In the last 50 meters of the 4x100m relay he tore his left hamstring falling on the track. Usain Bolt failed to finish his final race due to the fall.Team Jamaica lost the 4x100m relay event. Great Britain went on to win with USA finishing in second and Japan in third.

Stepping into the Limelight

In 2002 at the age of 15 years, Usain Bolt was the youngest to win a Gold medal at World Junior Championships in Kingston, clocking a record 20.61 secs in 200m at the National Stadium. This was his golden gate entry to a world stage. His popularity was growing. Howard Hamilton, a Public Defender by the government, urged the JAAA to train and prepare Bolt, “the most phenomenal sprinter ever produced by this island”. This is when the Former Jamaican Prime Minister P. J. Patterson recognizing the potential in Bolt arranged for him to move to Kingston, to train with the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) at the University of Technology, Jamaica. While young Bolt was training in the capital city of Kingston, he was also getting distracted by partying in Kingston’s clubs, eating junk food and playing basketball with friends.

However, in the years 2002 to 2004, during his training he injured himself several times, which made authorities sit back and question if he was ready to represent Jamaica in world events. In 2003, he got conjunctivitis and had to drop out of the World Championship Finals in Paris. The dejected Bolt still managed to win IAAF Rising Star Award for the 2003 season on the strength of his junior record-equaling run. But in 2004, under his new coach Fitz Coleman, he turned a new leaf beginning with the CARIFTA Games in Bermuda. While most were doubtful if Bolt could face international competition at the age of 17, some knew he was ready for the next Olympics at Athens in 2004. Notwithstanding these reservations, Bolt’s name was submitted to the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) by the local body JAAA, to compete in the 200m track event. JOA after many internal debates decided to allow Bolt to debut in the Olympics in the 200m run. Unluckily, Bolt finished 5^th with a time of 21.05 secs compared to his earlier 20.61 secs. But this did not deter him from cutting a birthday cake to celebrate his 18^th at the Olympic Games. The boy in the company of men had lost today but it was only the beginning.

The beginning of Greatness

Born on August 21, 1986, to Wellesley and Jennifer Bolt in Sherwood Content, Jamaica, Bolt grew up with his brother Sadiki and sister Sherine. His parents ran a grocery store. He studied at Waldensia Primary School and William Knibb Memorial High School. At school, he began sprinting where at the age of 12 he was the school’s fastest 100-meter runner. In 2001, when he was 14, he entered the first competition and won the high school championships with a silver medal in the 200m race.

Win from Within

From a biographical film on Usain Bolt directed by Benjamin and Gabe Turner titled ‘Am Bolt’, to sponsorship with Puma, to a gaming app Bolt by Apple iOS, to co-founding Bolt Mobility an electric scooter company, Usain Bolt continues to sprint in many directions to ‘win from within’. Furthermore since his retirement in 2017, he has been dividing his time between his foundation, ‘Usain Bolt Foundation’ for the education of children and his music and sports bar ‘Tracks and Records’.

Too soon to retire in life, Bolt…keep winning!

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