Kipchoge Keino

About Kipchoge Keino

Kipchoge Hezekiah "Kip" Keino chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee (KOC), is a retired Kenyan track and field athlete and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Kip Keino was among the first in a long line of successful middle and long distance runners to come from the country and has helped and inspired many of his fellow countrymen and women to become the athletics force that they are today. In 2012, he was of one of 24 athletes inducted as inaugural members of the International Association of Athletics Federations Hall Of Fame.

Athletic career:

• He began his international career at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia where he came eleventh in the three miles. At the 1964 Summer Olympics he finished fifth in 5000 m and just missed qualification for the 1500 m final.
  
• On 27 August 1965, Keino lowered the 3000 m world record by over 6 seconds to 7:39.6 in his first attempt at the distance. He won two gold medals (1500 & 5000 metres) at the inaugural All-Africa Games. Later in that year he broke the 5000 m world record held by Ron Clarke, clocking 13:24.2. At the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica he won both the mile run and three mile run. In the next Commonwealth Games, Keino won the 1500 metres and was third in the 5000 metres.
  
• At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, he won the 1500 metres gold medal (defeating American favourite and world record holder Jim Ryun by 20 meters, the largest winning margin in the history of the event) and 5000 m silver medal. Four years later, he won the 3000 metres steeplechase gold and 1500 metres silver at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. He retired in 1973.He is on the cover of the October 1968 issue of Track and Field News, the first issue following the Olympics.He shared the cover of the September 1969 issue with Naftali Bon.
  

Kipchoge Keino Achievements

Olympic Games:

• Gold medal – first place1968 Mexico City1500 metres
  
• Gold medal – first place1972 Munich3000 metres steeple
  
• Silver medal – second place1968 Mexico City5000 metres
  
• Silver medal – second place1972 Munich1500 metres
  

Commonwealth Games:

• Gold medal – first place1966 KingstonMile
  
• Gold medal – first place1966 Kingston3 miles
  
• Gold medal – first place1970 Edinburgh1500 metres
  
• Bronze medal – third place1970 Edinburgh5000 metres
  

All-Africa Games:

• Gold medal – first place1965 Brazzaville1500 metres
  
• Gold medal – first place1965 Brazzaville5000 metres
  
• Silver medal – second place1973 Lagos1500 metres