Kip Rono

George Kiprotich "Kip" Rono (born 4 January 1958) is a Kenyan former steeplechase runner.[1][2] He won a gold medal in the event at the 1979 African Championships in Athletics (becoming the inaugural champion) and was the first African steeplechase winner at the 1979 IAAF World Cup.

Kip Rono
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Kenya
Commonwealth Games
1978 Edmonton3000 m s'chase
All-Africa Games
1978 Algiers3000 m s'chase
African Championships in Athletics
1979 Dakar3000 m s'chase
1979 Dakar5000 m
IAAF World Cup
1979 Montreal300 m s'chase

Rono ranked second fastest in the world in 1980 with a time of 8:12.0 minutes, but missed the 1980 Summer Olympics due to the boycott. He was a bronze medallist at both the Commonwealth Games and All-Africa Games in 1978, finishing behind Henry Rono. He represented his country at the World Championships in Athletics in 1983 and the Summer Olympics in 1984.

Career

Rono first came to prominence at the age of twenty by winning bronze medals in the 3000 metres steeplechase at both the 1978 Commonwealth Games and the 1978 All-Africa Games. At both events, there was a Kenyan medal sweep led by Henry Rono and James Munyala.[3][4] (Contemporary news reports stated that he was Henry Rono's brother.)[5] The following year he established himself in his own right by winning steeplechase gold medals at the East and Central African Championships and the inaugural 1979 African Championships in Athletics (where he also claimed a 5000 metres bronze behind Ethiopia's Miruts Yifter and Yohannes Mohamed.[6][7] His position as one of the world's leading steeplechasers was cemented at the 1979 IAAF World Cup, where he led by fifty metres before the last lap and became the first African man to win the steeplechase at that event.[8][9]

The following year he was affected by the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott. Despite a run of 8:12.0 minutes at the Golden Gala in Rome – the second fastest that year after Bronisław Malinowski – he was unable to compete at a major competition.[10] He did compete at the Liberty Bell Classic (Olympic Boycott Games) and while Malinowski took the steeplechase, Rono was the gold medallist in the 5000 m.[11]

He won back-to-back steeplechase titles at the Kenyan Athletics Championships in 1983 to 1984.[12] However, upon entering top level international competitions he proved to be past his best. At the 1983 World Championships in Athletics he ranked twentieth in the semi-finals with a time of 8:33.97 minutes.[13] He went out in the first round at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, finishing ninth in his heat with a time of 8:41.75 minutes.[14]

He declined in the steeplechase thereafter. His next international appearance came at the 1988 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. There he was part of a dominant Kenyan team led by John Ngugi which took all top nine placings (bar Ethiopia's Abebe Mekonnen in fifth). Rono shared in the team gold medals for his eighth-place finish.[15]

Towards the end of his career, he focused on road running. In 1988 he was fourth at the Great Scottish Run and set a half marathon best of 1:00:52 hours to win the Semi Marathon du Lion. He was also runner-up at the Giro Podistico di Pettinengo and placed third at the AAA 10 Kilometres Championship.[16][17]

National titles

International competitions
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
1978 All-Africa Games Algiers, Algeria 3rd 3000 m s'chase 8:26.38
Commonwealth Games Edmonton, Canada 3rd 3000 m s'chase 8:34.07
1979 East and Central African Championships Mombasa, Kenya 1st 3000 m s'chase 8:33.8
IAAF World Cup Montreal, Canada 1st 3000 m s'chase 8:25.97
1980 Olympic Boycott Games Philadelphia, United States 1st 5000 m 13:37.52
1983 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 20th (semis) 3000 m s'chase 8:33.97
1984 Olympic Games Los Angeles, United States 26th (q) 3000 m s'chase 8:41.75
1988 World Cross Country Championships Auckland, New Zealand 8th Senior race 35:46
1st Team race 23 pts

See also

References
  1. All-time men's best 3000m steeplechase. Alltime Athletics (2015-02-06). Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  2. Kip Rono. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  3. COMMONWEALTH GAMES MEDALLISTS - ATHLETICS (MEN). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  4. All-Africa Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  5. ALGERIA: KENYAN RUNNERS SWEEP 3,000 METRE STEEPLECHASE AND HENRY RONO TAKES HIS SECOND GOLD AT THE AFRICAN GAMES.. ITN News (1978-07-27). Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  6. East and Central African Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  7. African Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  8. IAAF World Cup. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  9. IAAF Continental Cup 2010 Handbook, pg. 35. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  10. WORLD TOP PERFORMERS 1980-2005: MEN (OUTDOOR). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  11. Olympic Boycott Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  12. Kenyan Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  13. Kip Rono. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  14. Athletics at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games: Men's 3,000 metres Steeplechase Round One. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  15. IAAF World Cross Country Championships - 12.0km CC Men - Auckland Elleslie Date: Saturday, March 26, 1988. Athchamps (archived). Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  16. Kiprotich Rono. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  17. British Road Race Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
  18. Kenyan Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-03.
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