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It’s more sad news from Kenya. This time it’s not because of the riots provoked by the last 27 December 2007 elections (Lucas Sang, great athlete and great man, was among the victims) but because of the roads’ dangerousness.
Today the IAAF is sad to have been informed that 1996 Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Stephen Arusei Kipkorir died in a road crash on the road between the two main cities of the Rift Valley: Nakuru and Eldoret. Arusei was one of the greatest athletes of the region.
Stephen Arusei Kipkorir, after his brief athletic carrier, remained in the army as a professional soldier. The incident occurred in a military vehicle which was not involved in any special intervention but was simply bringing home the soldiers.
Stephen was the owner of a farm near Sugoi, an area close to Eldoret, in which were living other athletes: Moses Tanui who also has a big farm, Joyce Chepchumba with her husband Aron who have recently built a new house close to Aron’s family farm and David Kiptoo, a great 800m runner of the 90’s, who was finalist at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996.
Stephen Arusei Kipkorir (once known as Arusei, once as Kipkorir, as happened with many Kenyans) almost passed unnoticed when he finished 14th on the 23rd March 1996 at the World Cross Championships held in Stellenbosch, South Africa, 7th of his Kenyan national team.
At that time, Kenya had a great team including Paul Tergat, Ismael Kirui, Paul Koech, Joseph Kimani, William Kiptum, Josphat Muchuka all ranked within the first ten and who dominated (33 points to 99 for Morocco) the Team World Standings.
Just one person noticed him: Dr. Gabriele Rosa which convinced Stephen to join his team and to run the 1500m. Stephen, not a conversational man, had an impressive physical: tall, strong, his pace, with his wide-opened legs, was remarkable.
I have many souvenirs of him, during the time I spent on the warm-up track next to Kasarani stadium, close to Nairobi, just before the Trials for the Atlanta Olympic Games. Dr. Rosa was predicting a future between 3:25.00-3:28.00 for him; and this was not exaggerated, he really had a great potential.
He joined the team, ran the 1500m and won the Olympic bronze medal. Let’s remember this final in which El Guerrouj fell just when the bell was ringing:
1. Nourredine Morceli (ALG) 3:35.78
2. Fermin Cacho (ESP) 3:36.40
3. Stephen Kipkorir (KEN 3:36.72
4. Laban Rotich (KEN) 3:37.39
5. William Tanui (KEN) 3:37.42
6. Abdi Bile (SOM) 3:38.03
Ottavio Castellini for the IAAF