Mike Boit
Mike Boit (Michael Kipsubut Boit; born January 6, 1949 in Eldoret ) is a former Kenyan middle distance runner. After his performance sporting career he embarked on a career as an academic lecturer at Kenyatta University.
Childhood and youth
Boit is a member of the ethnic group of the Nandi. He attended to 1969 St. Patrick's High School in Iten, which later became known as the " birthplace " of many top athletes such as Peter Rono, Matthew Birir and Ibrahim Hussein. There they discovered early Boits runs talent. In 1969 he was a national high school champion in the 800 -meter run. His parents, however, particularly strong emphasis on his academic performance and made sure that he always was one of the best in class, so he was freed from the school fees. Then he went to the Kenyatta University College, which he left in 1972 with a degree in Physical Education.
Sporting career
Attracted international attention the 1.80 m wide and 68 kg Boit first time at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. In the 800 - meter race he won behind the Americans and the Dave Wottle for the current for the Soviet Union Yevgeny Arschanow the bronze medal. In the public perception this race was mainly due to the strong spurt Wottles remembered, who had initially set back in the home stretch seemingly hopeless. In addition, Boit finished fourth in the 1500 meter race. Another Olympic participation was denied him because Kenya boycotted 1976 Games in Montreal and in Moscow in 1980.
Nevertheless succeeded Boit to establish itself over the years in the world rankings. In the British Commonwealth Games in 1974 in Christchurch, he won the 800 meters silver medal behind compatriot John Kipkurgat and referred the later 1500 - meter race Olympic champion John Walker from New Zealand to third place. In 1976 Boit in his victory at the International Stadium Festival Berlin with a time of 1:43,57 minutes an African record in the 800 -meter run on. The following year he met the IAAF World Cup in 1977 in Dusseldorf on the double Olympic champion Alberto Juantorena from Cuba. In the highly anticipated duel in the 800 meters to Boit was beaten by a tenth of a second. The later world champion Willi Wülbeck from Germany reached the goal with a clear gap to the two third.
In the Commonwealth Games 1978 in Edmonton Boit celebrated a comfortable win against the Jamaicans Seymour Newman in the 800 -meter run. The following year he competed in the inaugural tournament in the Athletics Championships in Africa Dakar in 1500 -meter run. He won ahead of Algerian Abderrahmane Morceli, older brother of the future world champion and Olympic champion Noureddine Morceli. 1980 Boit ran in San Diego a world indoor record for 880 yards. The following year he was elected to Kenya's Sportsman of the Year.
His last international medal won Boit at the Commonwealth Games in 1982 in Brisbane. Behind the brand new European champion Steve Cram from England and John Walker, he finished third in the 1500 meter race. About the same distance he reached the final at the World Athletics Championships 1983 in Helsinki, there was only twelfth and thus last.
Boit was the Running yet a few more years actively connected. Most recently, he presented in early 1989 with a mile run in East Rutherford with a time of 4:15,48 minutes an indoor world record in the M40 age class on.
Bests
- 800 m: 1:43,57 min, 20 August 1976, Berlin
- 1000 m: 2:15,3 min, September 23, 1977 Bochum-
- 1500 m: 3:33,67 min [ Note 1 ], August 28, 1981 Brussels
- 1 miles: 3:49,45 min, August 28, 1981 Brussels
Academic career
During his time as a competitive athlete drove Boit his training progress. At Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, he completed a degree in Physical Education with a minor in biology, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Sciences in 1976. In the following two years, he earned two master's degrees at Stanford University. From 1978 to 1979 he was the first time a guest lecturer at the Kenyatta University.
In 1986 he received his doctorate from the University of Oregon in Eugene Doctor of Educational Sciences. His thesis is entitled The Relationship of Teacher Behavior to Student Achievement in High and Low Achievement high schools in Nairobi. Since 1987 he is a Senior Lecturer at Kenyatta University.
In addition, he held various positions in the administration of sport. From 1989 to 1999 he was a member of the Athletes' Commission of the IAAF World Athletics Association and from 1992 to 1995 in the Board of Directors of Special Olympics. Between 1990 and 1997 he was State Commissioner for Sports in Kenya.
Find out more
In 1983, Boit a very special record on. On a sloping road in Auckland he ran a mile in 3:28,36 minutes. He beat the former world record of the British railway Sebastian Coe ( 3:47,33 minutes) by nearly 19 seconds. However, it was Boits performance due to the strong distance gap of about 190 meters above sea level best not list capable. In addition, the Athletics IAAF no road records over this distance. Coe, however, had made his world record in 1981 in direct head to head with Boit at the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels.
A relative Boits gained international fame in an unusual way. The cross-country skier Philip Boit was in 1998 in Nagano, the first Kenyan participants at the Olympic Winter Games. Despite, or perhaps because of his outsider role of exotic aroused a great deal of media interest. About the kinship relationship between Mike and Philip Boit circulating different versions. According to some sources, they are brothers, for other cousins. Still others report that Philip was Mike's nephew.