ATHLETE IN THE SPOTLIGHT EZEKIEL KEMBOI | STEEPLECHASE
Violence Doesn't Stop Golden Repeat Bid
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Along with Kenya's other Olympic contenders, Ezekiel Kemboi, the reigning gold medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, had his training seriously interrupted by the post-election ethnic violence that afflicted his home country this year. At one point, he cut his training sessions down from three to one a day because of threats aimed at athletes in Kenya's western Rift Valley region. One of his colleagues, Lucas Sang, a former middle-distance runner, was hacked to death during the violence; marathoner Wesly Ngetich was killed by a poison arrow; Kemboi's coach, Moses Kiptanui -- regarded by some as the finest steeplechaser ever -- lived with daily death threats. And former bronze medalist William Mutwol received a text message saying that his "head would be turned to soup."
"You can't run here now unless it's fully light," Kemboi told Britain's Guardian newspaper in January. "I know my chances of Olympic success are going down, but I have seen the cuts on Lucas Sang's body. You cannot run if you don't feel safe."
Some of the athletes, who come from an ethnic group that supported Kenya's opposition leader, were accused of supporting ethnic militias that rampaged across the Rift Valley after the disputed presidential vote. They denied taking part.
A power-sharing deal signed in February calmed the cool and fertile western region, where the most prominent track and field athletes keep large farms.
Despite the setbacks, Kemboi has vowed to bring home another gold medal.
-- Stephanie McCrummen
