Olympic medal separateS Kipsiro and greatness

New Delhi

When Moses Kipsiro clinched his second Commonwealth Games gold medal here on Monday, a Ugandan had a brief scuffle with security trying to reach out to his countryman. From the stands, he flew over the stadium barriers with security officers chasing after him. They never stopped in restraining him. He managed to maneuver his way to the track and hand Kipsiro the national flag to do the lap of honour after winning the 10,000m final.

That could have been the only time the tight security at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium was breached throughout the two weeks of action. It was quite a scene. It caught the security off guard. As it turned out, the ‘flag bearer’ wasn’t an ordinary fan from the crowd. He was a member of Uganda’s delegation at the Games that ended Friday – a cyclist to be precise. This left the armed personnel with no option but to ask him politely to return to his seat. He never did. Like any other Ugandan in the stadium and others back home, he was overjoyed.

The moment was overwhelming. Kipsiro himself celebrated in style. On crossing the line ahead of Daniel Lemashon, Joseph Kiptoo and Titus Mbishei, he flashed a two-finger sign. Those are things the usually humble Kipsiro rarely does. But he did it to let everyone know that he had become the first man to win the 5,000m and 10,000m double at the Club Games. And he achieved that in spectacular style, too, flooring three Kenyans in both races.

Badly needed gold
The 5,000m victory was even more thrilling as Kipsiro had to dig deep to hold off the vastly experienced Eliud Kipchoge until the finishing line. “I badly needed these medals,” Kipsiro said after his feat. “Even God knows that I wanted to win. Thankfully, he listened to my prayers.”

The Ugandan and Kenyan Nancy Langat (1500m and 800m) were the only runners to win double gold medals in New Delhi. For Kipsiro, his medals were the only ones the country could afford. It’s also the runner’s biggest accomplishment yet in a career that started in 1993. But even without this double, Kipsiro would still be regarded as one of the country’s finest athletes. Nonetheless, the runner acknowledges that he must win an Olympic medal of any kind to join the group of Uganda’s sporting legends.

Ugandans have endured so much heartbreak on the international sporting scene. For 14 years now, the country hasn’t tasted glory at the Olympics. It was in Atlanta 1996 that a Ugandan last stepped on the medal podium after Davis Kamoga sprinted to bronze in the 400 metres.

John Akii-Bua (RIP) remains the only Ugandan to have won Olympic gold after he ruled the 400m hurdles in 1972. Dorcus Inzikuru and Boniface Kiprop, two of the best recent runners that had been tipped to end Uganda’s Olympic glory hunger, faded so fast and are now off track. Kipsiro is the only hope.

Eyes on Olympics
“I definitely need an Olympic medal. I will continue working hard until 2012,” Kipsiro said. Work hard he has always and maintaining high levels of motivation amid Uganda’s sporting frustrations is his secret to success. “After the 2008 World Cross-country Championships, I almost quit running,” he told a group of Indian journalists in an interactive presentation on Wednesday. “I was working hard and results weren’t coming my way,” he added, referring to his 13th place finish in the men’s 12km race in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Humble background
Hailing from a peasantry family in Singare, Bukwo, Kipsiro has kept his head high in a sea of challenges. And unsurprisingly, he has risen to become the sole breadwinner for his nine siblings (four boys and four boys) and parents.

As a form three pupil at Chesimat Primary School, Kipsiro more than often humiliated big boys in long distance races. In 2001, he joined Standard High School, teaming up with Boniface Kiprop and Isaac Kiprop. The trio changed the face of long distance running in Uganda.

Kipsiro got a very rude welcome on the international scene, finishing 65th in the Eastern Africa Cross-country Championships in Ethiopia. His performance in Ethiopia meant he was dropped from the team to represent Uganda at the World Cross-country in Dublin. “The news of being dropped from the team hit me hard,” he recalled. It was not until 2005 that Kipsiro started making a breakthrough on the international scene. He was still not good enough and in 2006 could only finish seventh (5,000m) at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

The Melbourne experience was, however, enough to inspire him as he pulled off major upsets at the Africa Senior Championships in Bambous, Mauritius later that year with silver in 5,000m and gold in 10,000m. Interestingly, Kipsiro had entered the 10,000m to set the pace for the fancied Isaac Kiprop. “After a few laps, I was in the lead. I looked behind and Kiprop wasn’t anywhere near, I decided to continue. I still can’t believe I won that gold,” he recalled.

That would be the start for good things as in 2007, Kipsiro, despite losing one shoe – romped to 5,000m gold at the All Africa Games in Algiers and added bronze at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan. 2008 proved difficult with Kipsiro finishing 13th in the World Cross-country and settling for fourth – the most hated position – at the Beijing Olympics. His close shaves crossed over to 2009 with the Ugandan surrendering World Cross-country gold to Ethiopian Zersenay Tadese in the final five metres of the race and again coming fourth at the World Cross-country Championships in Berlin.

Personal sacrifice
Before Delhi, Kipsiro was second in 10,000m and fourth over 5,000m at the Africa Senior Championships in Nairobi and a bronze medalist at the World Cross-country in Poland. To achieve all this, Kipsiro has barely received any support.

His successes are a result of personal sacrifice, patience and commitment. He can hardly access any training facilities while in his home area – Bukwo. There is no running track in the area yet reports indicate that some international companies donated money to have one constructed but it ended in wrong hands. But his big heart is enviable.

During preparations for the 2009 World Cross-country, Kipsiro found no difficulty in facilitating the national team’s residential training by offering his car and fueling it to transport athletes. “There are very many young boys who can even beat me in Kapchorwa and Bukwo. I train with them and I see they are capable of excelling on the international scene,” he revealed. “I have now decided to look for money and help them train. It’s important to build other champions.”

Quick profile

NAME: Moses Ndiema Kipsiro
DOB: Sept, 2 1986, Singare
Height/weight: 1.74m/ 59kg
Races: 5,000m, 10,000m and Cross-country
Career Highlights
2003 18th World Cross Country Championships (junior)
2005 21st World Cross Country Championships (Junior)
2006 29th World Cross Country Championships (short Course)
2006 23rd World Cross country Championships (long course)
2006 7th Commonwealth Games (5000m)
2006 3rd African Championships (5000m)
2006 1st African Championships (10,000m)
2007 All Africa Games (5000m)
2007 3rd World Championships (5000m)
2007 7th World Athletics Final (3000m)
2008 13th World C/Country Championships
2008 4th Olympic Games (5000m)
2008 2nd` World Athletics Final (5000m)
2009 2nd World Cross Country Championships
2009 4th World Championships in Athletics (5000m)
2010 3rd World Cross Country Championships
2010 2nd Africa Senior Championships (10,000m)
2010 4th Africa Senior Championships (5000m)