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| Action: Samson Kimobwo leads the pack in one of the championships in which he participated in |
In stamping her authority in
athletics track events, Kenya has seemingly had a constant supply of passionate
and capable individuals who have successfully chased glory. She has, for
decades now, been able to showcase selfless and go getter athletics-brilliant
men and women brimming with talent. She has swept all titles worth their salt; cross country and the indoor championship disciplines are no exception.
And like all other athletics
events, cross country running and the indoor games have courageous runners who
proudly took the game to the global competitors, with a claim to victory and
authoritatively set the pace on which Kenya’s streak of sterling performances
is built. Standing tall to claim the roll of honor, albeit humbly, in the
athletics hall of fame for building a firm foundation in the indoor and cross
country athletics championships is one Samson Kimobwo.
Samson Kimobwo was born in
September of 1955 in Kitalabosio near Murgochet, along the administrative
border land of the then Trans-Nzoia and West Pokot Districts. Kimobwo's career
did not immediately get off to a flying start when he started running in
Chewoyet Secondary School. “I had become the subject of ridicule for being the
best in taking the last position,” he says. His first serious challenge in
running soon came when participated in a cross country competition held in
Kaplong in 1971 where competition was nothing like he had seen before. Finishing in position 136, Kimobwo says he
saw dust, quite literally.
After the the Kaplong defeat,
Kimobwo went onto the drawing board, training hard and re-merging in 1972 to
participate in the Solai-Nakuru 10 mile road race where he put on a brave challenge and made his future
intentions clear, beating Briton Chris Steeward to the finish line. Steward
later clinched a bronze medal in the 1972 Olympic Games held in Munich, in the
then West Germany. Kimobwo says, together with big names like Kipchoge Keino,
Benjamin Kogo and Tecla Chemabwai, he participated in the Olympics qualifying
trials for the Munich games that were held in Kisumu but he did not qualify owing to
his tender age.
Courtesy of his teachers, led by
one Graham Parker, Kimobwo was selected to participate in athletics competition
tour in England in the August of 1973, where he says he competed well,
clinching psotions 1 and 2 in the events that he entered. His friends who
ridiculed him at the start of his running were forever silenced when he stamped
his authority on the track by emphatically winning in the national inter
secondary school championships held in St. Marys Secondary School, Kwale. He
did so by sweeping the cross country, 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters
events.
He reminisces that he, together
with one of his very good friends, Mike Koskei, he participated in the first
ever East Africa inter secondary schools
championships held in Kisumu in 1974, where he successfully claimed the 5000m
and 1000m titles. He was enrolled in Washington State University in 1975 where
he studied for his Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture and Economics. He
assisted some of his fellow countrymen, including his friend Mike Koskei and
Joel Cheuiyot to join the univeristy. He participapted in numerous NCAA
championships from 1976 to 1980 where he earned himself respect from fellow
athletes including seasoned runner Greg Virgin.The NCAA championships are
annual collegiate outdoor track and field competition for men organized by the
National Collegiate Athletic Association in America.
Kimobwo also participated in the
1976 Detroit Indoor Games where he was beaten to the finish line by a Mexican.
In the same year in the outdoor games held in Philadelphia, USA he completed
the clean sweep of the cross country event, finishing after compatriots in the
Kenyan trio of Kimeto and John Ngeno. The jewel in his athletics crown and a
permanent niche in athletics history came in 1977 when he won in style, setting a new world
record in the world games held in Helsinki, Finland by breaking David Bedford’s record in the 10,000 meters race by a measly 0.3 seconds. It was soon broken by fellow
countryman Henry Rono in 1978. David Bedford is now the organizer of the London
Marathon.
Kimobwo, who is now an
Agriculture teacher in Kapenguria Boys High School, says despite his many
achievements, the only thing he was lucky to get in return is education. He
says he has used his position as a teacher to coach and mentor athletes who
have come up to be world beating athletics champions. These include, among
others, bronze medalist in Bercalona ’92 Olympics William Mutwol, multiple
world record holder Moses Kiptanui, Brimin Kipruto, Richard Chelimo, Antony
Kiprono, Benson Koech, Vincent Malakwen, Reuben Koskei and world record holder
in 3000m steeplechase Ezekiel Kemboi.
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| Nurturing the young: Samson Kimobwo teaching recently at Kapenguria Boys High School |
Looking back at the recently concluded
London (2012) Olympics, Kimobwo advises current athletes to borrow from the lessons of
their time. He says their time was rich with team work and genuine concern for
the other person. He says that he was very happy for instance, when Henry Rono broke
the world record that he held for a year as they always were a team. He says a
competition that is entered with genuine teamwork is as good as a competition
that is half won.
Kimobwo calls upon athletes, both active and retired to venture out and take the various
leadership positions in athletics management so that they ensure that athletes
are not short changed. He asks the government to recognize and reward past
athletics champions even as a way of encouraging youngsters to take up all
sporting activities seriously.
The Government and the athletics
management bodies in Kenya, he says, should now work at ensuring that they not
only honor retired athletes, but that they also tap in to the enormous resource
that lies in their invaluable on-the-job experience. Kimobwo, who is also a
trained coach says retired athletes have great abilities and a rare insight
into athletics that should be harnessed and passed on to young generation of so
that our country’s winning formula on the track is kept on course.
“If I am
assisted in setting up a training camp, I am sure I will do an even better job
in identifying and bringing up more world class talent.” Kimobwo offers.
