Kenya’s greatest Sporting Figures
| Media |
| Commerce |
| Education |
| Forums |
| Music |
| Sports |
| Personal web pages |
| E-mail Directory |
| This page consists of what is in the opinion
of the staff of this site, the best Kenyan sportsmen ever. We would like to hear from you.
If you have any suggestions for a team that in your opinion deserves to be on this list, fill out this form sending us an e-mail with a detailed prose as to why that team should
be ranked among Kenya's best ever teams. Your suggestions will be posted at the fan suggestions site |
| Henry Ronoh Perhaps the greatest track athlete ever to represent Kenya was Henry Ronoh. At the peak of his career, He held 5 world records, the 1500m, 3000m flat, 3000m steeplchase, 5000m and the 10,000m. Sadly He never got to display his talents at the Olympics because kenya boycotted both the the 1976 and the 1980 Olympics.John Ngugi John Ngugi was born and grew up in Nyandarua district in central Kenya. It was when he joined the Kenya Army that his Athletics career began to take shape. He briefly held the world records at both 5000m and 10,000m. He won gold medals at the 4th All Africa games and the 1988 Olympics where he ran at a breathtaking performance that saw him finish nearly 100 metres ahead of his closest challenger, much to the amazement of the world press. He won the world cross country championship 5 times. His career however ended when He was suspended by the IAAAF for declining to take a random drug test. Robert "Kidd" Wangila He is considered the best boxer in Kenya’s history. Wangila was well known as "Roba" in the Jericho neighbourhood where he grew up. He started his boxing career with the Kenya Breweries boxing club after earning a job there as atruck driver. By 1986 he was already considered the best welterweight boxer in Kenya at age 21. In 1987, He won a gold medal at the 4th All Africa games with a scintillating display of power punching. At the Seoul Olympics of 1988 He became the first African ever to win an Olympic Gold medal in Boxing when He beat Frenchman Laurent Boudani in an exhillarating final. He then embarked on a professional career in the US. His life was tragically ended in the boxing ring when he was stopped by David Gonzalez in a fight where Wangila was ironically leading. Edward Rombo Rombo is no doubt the finest Rugby player to emerge from the country. Rombo first made a name for himself while a student at Nairobi school. But it was while playing for the University of Nairobi team better known as Mean Machine that his talents came to the fore. With a combination of lightning speed and an array of bedazzling moves, Rombo often left opponents bewildered. His trademark move came to be known as the "Rombo jig" among Rugby fans in Kenya. In 1990 Rombo was voted the best player at the Singapore sevens in a tournament that included such talents as New Zealand legend, Zinzan Brooke. In 1991 He finished as the leading try scorer in the kenya cup and led Mean Machine to its first ever Kenya Cup win. His talents did not go unnoticed among British talent scouts. He landed a Professional contract to play with a top British Rugby league side , Leeds RFC where he played alongside some of the worlds best. Besides playing for Leeds, he also played for Dewsbury RFC and Featherstone Rovers, both of whom he led in scoring
Paul Tergat A sergeant in the Kenya Airforce, Tergat’s claim to fame is that He won the world cross country championships a record six times. Tergat also held the world 10,000 metres record and won silver medals at the 1996 and 2000 olympics and the 1997 world championships. Tergat later switched to the marathon where he won the London marathon, Berlin marathon and set a world record in the process. He also won the New York Marathon in 2005.
Tagla Lorupe Lorupe was the dominant womens long distance runner at the dawn of the new millenium. Besides setting a world record in the women’s marathon, she set records at almost every distance in road racing. Shekhar Mehta He is no doubt the greatest rally driver in Kenya’s history. Mehta won the Safari rally a record five consecutive times. He also won the Pharaohs rally in Egypt and had a creditable performance at the Paris – Dakar Rally. A near death accident at the Pharaoh’s rally brought his career to a sudden halt. Paul Wekesa Paul Wekesa is the only Kenyan ever to rank among the top 100 tennis players in the world. No other Kenyan has even achieved ATP status. He won a bronze medal at the 4th All Africa games in 1987. At the height of his career, Wekesa steered Kenya’s Davis cup team to wins over traditional giants such as Zimbabwe, Cote’d Ivoire, Nigeria and some European teams such as Romania. Wekesa featured regularly in the top ATP tournaments such as Wimbeldon where he brushed shoulders with some of the Worlds top tennis players. Wekesa is currently the Kenya national teams coach. Ibrahim "Surf" Bilali A nimble but stylish boxer, Bilali is probably the most talented amateur boxer in Kenya. Bilali was a true master of his craft, dazzling opponents with bobs and weaves while leaving them with no room to attack. While still a student at Highway secondary school, He featured in the national boxing team. He won a gold medal at the commonwealth games in 1982 and a bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics.
|
