NAIROBI, Kenya, February 15 – The athletics fraternity is once again in mourning after the passing away of Kenyan legend and multiple world record holder Henry Rono.
According to a statement from Athletics Kenya (AK), the 1978 Commonwealth Games champion for the men’s 3000m steeplechase and 5000m passed away at the Nairobi South Hospital on Thursday morning after a brief illness.
“Athletics Kenya is saddened to notify the public of the demise of former athlete Mr Henry Rono, which occurred today at 10.30 am. He had been hospitalised at the Nairobi South Hospital for the past 10 days,” the statement read.
Rono shot to global prominence when he broke four world records in a space of 81 days — a feat yet to be replicated to date.
It all started on April 8, 1978 when he clocked a world record of 13:08.4 in the men’s 5000m at the Edwards Stadium in Berkeley, smashing the previous one of 13:12.9 by New Zealand’s Dick Quax.
A month later in Seattle, the Washington State University sophomore clocked 8:05.4 to set a new world record in the men’s 3000m steeplechase.
The world had not yet had time to take in these herculean feats before Rono added to his glowing reputation by running a world record of 27:22.47 in the men’s 10,000m during the opening of a new track at the Cricketer Stadium in Vienna.
He later went on to clock a world record of 7:32.1 in the men’s 3000m.
Arguably the lowest moment of his career was failure to compete at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics in Montreal, Canada and Moscow, Russia respectively after Kenya boycotted both events.
However, he made up for that miss in 1981 when he smashed his world record in the men’s 5000m, clocking 13:06.20 at an international track and field meet in Knarvik, Norway.
Rono’s demise comes five days after the shock death of world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum after a car crash along Eldoret-Kaptagat road on Sunday night.
