We continue our series 'Focus on Africans', with two men's 3000m Steeplechase biographies -
Reuben KOSGEI (kos-GAY) Mutai, Kenya (3000m steeplechase)
Born 2 August 1978, Kibikos, near Kapcherop, Marakwet District, Rift Valley Province, Kenya
Married Sarah Kibor of Kibikos 1999. Daughter Faith (2001)
Lives in Eldoret; moving to newly-bought five-acre farm near Kaptagat (30 km east), location of training base. Lives in Nijmegen, Netherlands, during track season.
Manager: Jos Hermens. Coaches: Patrick Sang and Joseph Chelimo.
Marakwet (Kalenjin). Second of nine children. Father a retired forest ranger, now a farmer with eight acres.
Completed Chebai Secondary School, Kapcherop, 1999.
Began running in primary school. Showed such promise in final year that he was recruited to run for a school some distance from home; lived at home of school games master. Enrolled in Marakwet High School under coach Samson Kimobwa, former 10,000m WR holder. In second year (1997), finished 2nd in steeplechase in national schools championships behind 2003 World Championships teammate Abraham Cherono. Went on to win African Junior Championship in Ibadan, Nigeria later that year. The next year beat Cherono in schools champs and selected for World Junior Championships in Annecy, which he won in PB 8:23.76.
Switched to less expensive school in final year (1999) and gave up schools competition. Ran flat races in a few European indoor meets, and took 2nd in three early GPs before being spiked in right achilles during Kenyan World Championships trials, ending his season. Recovered well enough in 2000 to lower PB to 8:03.92, gain selection for the Sydney Olympics and collect Kenya's seventh gold medal in the event.
Ran ten steeple finals in 2001, finishing second in seven but winning the big one, the Edmonton World Championships (8:15.16). Two weeks later lowered PB to 7:57.29 (4th all time) in Brussels GP, behind Brahim Boulami's WR.
2002 season curtailed by aggravation of achilles injury, which persisted into 2003, compounded by left achilles problem resulting from favoring right leg. Both injuries under control going into Paris World Championships.
Yearly progression: 1998 - 8:32.76; 1999 - 8:12.33; 2000 - 8:03.92; 2001 - 7:57.29; 2002 - 8:05.87; 2003 - 8:09.65.
Reuben Kosgei has competed in four major international championships -- African Juniors (1997), World Juniors (1998), Olympics (2000) and World Championships (2001) -- and has won every one. He is a wild card entrant in the Paris World Championships as defending champion; he did not compete in the Kenyan trials. He has been training mainly on the flat to avoid aggravating his persistent achilles problem, which is badly affected by the steeple water jump. But he believes he is fit, and his record shows his extraordinary ability to rise to the biggest occasions.
In the time he has been forced to take off from training as a result of injury, he has pursued a favorite pastime, carpentry, which he learned from his grandfather. He is making most of the furniture that will fill the new house he is having built on his farm in Kaptagat.
Ezekiel KEMBOI (kem-BOY) Cheboi, Kenya (3000m steeplechase)
Born 25 May 1982, Matira, near Kapsowar, Marakwet District, Rift Valley Province, Kenya
Farmer, cultivating 50-acres near Moi's Bridge, Trans-Nzoia Dist., since 2002.
Married Jane Jepchumba of Iten 2002. Son Kiprono Manchester (2002).
Lives mainly in Matira. Trains at IAAF/IOC High Altitude Training Centre, Eldoret.
Manager: Enrico Dionisi. Coach: formerly Paul Ereng; now self-coached.
Marakwet (Kalenjin). Third of seven children. Father a farmer with 10 acres.
Completed Kapsowar Boys Secondary 1999.
Did not run in school. Extracurricular interests included football (midfielder), music (DJ at school parties), drama and debate. Starting running on his own after leaving school, fixing on steeplechase in emulation of fellow Marakwet athletes Moses Kiptanui and William Mutwol. In April 2001 entered open Athletics Kenya meeting in Kakamega and won steeple in 8:56. ("No strong guys were there," he says.) Attracted attention of IAAF/ IOC coach Ereng, who invited him to train at newly-created High Altitude Training Centre.
After another local win, Kemboi wrote to several European managers. Only Dionisi wrote back. Kemboi flew to Europe in late May and ran five races in two weeks, lowering PB to 8:23.66, and returned to Kenya for trials for African Junior Championships coming up in Mauritius. Finished 2nd in trials to 2003 World Championships teammate Mike Kipyego, then won in Mauritius in 8:39.80 in spite of falling.
In 2002 ran steeple in five European meetings, winning three (Strasbourg, Paris and Brussels). Also competed in two major championships: the Commonwealth Games, where he finished 2nd (8:19.78) to teammate Stephen Cherono, and the African Championships, where he was 4th (8:27.14) behind Brahim Boulami, Wilson Boit Kipketer and Cherono (later awarded bronze after Boulami received a doping suspension). Season-ending win in Brussels in PB 8:06.65 proved his potential after two years' running.
In 2003 he has run 11 steeplechases and won seven. Each of the four he has lost have been won by Saif Aaaeed Shaheen, formerly Stephen Cherono, now running for Qatar. In three of the races he lost, Kemboi was suffering from one ailment or another. In the fourth, in Zurich, he was healthy and lost by 0.01 second to Shaheen in a PB 8:02.49.
Kemboi has never beaten Shaheen, who has been the world's top-ranked steeplechaser for the past two years. But he is aware that his former countryman's defection has not gone down well in Kenya. He also knows that in Paris Kenyans will be looking to him, as this year's national champion and trials winner, to extend the country's string of six straight World Championship steeplechase gold medals. And he says he is eager to meet the challenge.
Yearly progression: 2001 - 8:23.66; 2002 - 8:06.65; 2003 - 8:02.49
Prepared by John Manners for the IAAF "Focus on Africans" project. © 2003 IAAF
