Kipchoge Keino

Kipchoge Hezekiah Keino (born 17 January 1940) is a former Kenyan runner and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He served as chair of the Kenyan Olympic Committee until 29 September 2017. Keino was one of the first of Kenya’s many successful middle- and long-distance runners, and his achievements inspired generations of Kenyan athletes. In 2000, he was made an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee, and in 2012 he was among the 24 inaugural inductees into the IAAF Hall of Fame.

Keino was born in Kipsamo, in Kenya’s Nandi District. His name, Kipchoge, means “born near the grain storage shed” in the Nandi language. Orphaned as a child, he was raised by an aunt. After finishing school, he joined the Kenya Police. Before focusing on athletics, he played rugby.

His international debut came at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, where he placed 11th in the three miles. At the 1964 Olympics, he finished fifth in the 5000 metres and narrowly missed the 1500 metres final. On 27 August 1965, in his first attempt at the distance, he broke the 3000 metres world record with a time of 7:39.6, shaving over six seconds off the mark. That year, he also won gold in the 1500 and 5000 metres at the first All-Africa Games, and later broke Ron Clarke’s 5000 metres world record with 13:24.2. At the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, he won both the mile and three-mile runs. At the next Commonwealth Games, he took gold in the 1500 metres and bronze in the 5000 metres.

At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, Keino won the 1500 metres gold, beating American world-record holder Jim Ryun by 20 metres—the largest winning margin in the event’s history—and earned silver in the 5000 metres. Four years later, at the 1972 Munich Olympics, he won gold in the 3000 metres steeplechase and silver in the 1500 metres. He carried Kenya’s flag at the opening ceremonies of both the 1964 and 1972 Olympics. Keino retired from competition in 1973. He appeared on the cover of the October 1968 issue of *Track and Field News* and shared the cover of the September 1969 issue with Naftali Bon.

After retiring, Keino and his wife, Phyllis, focused on humanitarian work in Eldoret, Kenya. They founded the Lewa Children’s Home for orphans, the KipKeino Primary School in 1999, and the Kip Keino Secondary School in 2009. In 1987, *Sports Illustrated* named him one of eight “Athletes Who Care” as part of its Sportsmen and Sportswomen of the Year award. The Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret was named after him in 1996. He received an honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Bristol in 2007, and earlier an honorary degree from Egerton University. In July 2012, after the Kenyan Olympic Committee—under his leadership—chose Bristol as a training base for the London 2012 Olympics, the Bristol City Council awarded him the freedom of the city, the first person to receive that honour since Winston Churchill. In 2012, he was inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame. On 5 August 2016, during the Rio de Janeiro Olympic opening ceremony, he received the first Olympic Laurel for service to the Olympic movement. On 14 May 2021, the asteroid 39285 Kipkeino, discovered in 1997, was named after him.

Keino lives on a farm in Eldoret, where he runs a charitable organization for orphans. He is married to Phyllis Keino.