OWN CORRESPONDENT, Sydney | Tuesday 4.30pm.
KENYAN great Kip Keino on Tuesday predicted a continuing hold for his country on the steeplechase title at the 2000 Olympics.
The soft-spoken Keino, who gave Kenya its first gold medal at the 1968 Olympics when he won the 1,500 metres and went on to win the steeplechase gold at the 1972 Munich Games, stayed clear of making outlandish predictions as he inspected the new Sydney Olympic stadium.
“We would like to go home with at least several medals,” he said. “And what I normally say is we would like to continue the tradition of going home with the steeplechase gold medal and then other events will come.”
Since 1968, Kenyans have won the steeplechase at every Games they have attended and they took home all three medals at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Wilson Boit Kipketer also led home two teammates to take gold at the last world championships in Athens.
But Keino said there were no secrets to Kenya’s enduring success. “I can’t tell you, but there are no short cuts for anything, you have to work very hard to be good in every event,” he said.
Keino is one of 25 international Olympians and 27 Australian Olympians and Paralympians to have streets named after them in the Sydney Olympic village, which will house 15,000 athletes and officials at next year’s Games.
“It’s an honour for my country and for the sportsmen of the world and it’s the first time I’ve received an honour like this outside Kenya,” he said on Tuesday.–AFP