Wilson Kiprugut

Wilson Chuma Kiprugut (* 1938 in Kericho, Rift Valley Province ) is a former Kenyan athlete who came into existence mainly in the 800 -meter run. In 1964, he became the first Kenyans in the history of a medal at the Olympics.

Career

Kiprugut grew up in Kericho and was prepared by walking long distances to school in the Kenyan highlands on his competitive sports career. During his time at the Sitotwet Intermediate School, he began to participate in competitions. The Brooke Bond tea company for which he worked as an assistant, his success rewarded with small prizes, so that he soon focused increasingly on the sport of running. In the Eastern and Central Africa championships in 1958 in Nairobi, he first participated in a national championship. From 1959 to 1961 graduated Kiprugut training with the Kenyan army. He then competed in the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1962 in Perth in the 880 - yard run and in the 4 x 440 yards relay team, but did not come out the first round.

At this time he was discovered by the British athletics coach John Velzian and brought to Nairobi, where he trained, among others, along with the future Olympic champion Kipchoge Keino. The international breakthrough came Kiprugut two years later at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 1964. In the first round of the 800 meters competition he sat down as the winner of its forward travel clear through. In the semifinal round, he qualified second in 1:46,1 min simultaneously with the winner of the race, George Kerr, for the final. Thus, both runners undercut the old Olympic record by two-tenths seconds. In the final four runners remained under this new record. Was Kiprugut in 1:45,9 min third behind Peter Snell ( 1:45,1 min) and Bill Crothers ( 1:45,6 min), winning the first Kenyan ever an Olympic medal. Kiprugut launched in Tokyo in the 400 - meter race, but retired with a time of 47.7 s already in the quarter-final round.

Thanks to his success at the Olympic Games came Kiprugut the following year as a celebrated star of the first Pan-African Games in Brazzaville. There, he won both the 400m and 800m in superior style with the gold medal. In 1966 he was in the 880 - yard race at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston second behind Noel Clough and before George Kerr.

His last major success came Kiprugut at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. He won in a personal best of 1:44,5 min the silver medal in the 800 -meter run. He had just beaten the Australians Ralph Doubell that set with his winning time 1:44,3 min the existing world record by Peter Snell in the final sprint.

After his retirement Kiprugut remained until 1974 when the Kenyan army and then took a job with Brooke Bond, which he followed until 1997. The father of four children has a wheat farm in Molo and operates on his farm in Kericho tea cultivation and animal husbandry. Wilson Kiprugut is 1,78 m tall and had a competition weight of 71 kg.