Kenya’s Track and Field Legend, Henry Rono has died at the age of 72 in Nairobi, Kenya after a brief illness.
A statement released by the Kenyan Athletics Federation on Thursday revealed that the athlete succumbed to a brief illness at the country’s capital, Nairobi. He was hospitalized for Ten days before he died on Thursday.
Henry Rono made history in the steeplechase race breaking four world records in just 81 days in 1978. He ran world bests in 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m and 3000 meters. He also went on to break his record for the 5000 meters in 1981. Rono moved to the United States in 1986 where he lived for over thirty years before he returned to Kenya in 2019.
His tenure at Washington State University was historic, as he became only the third person, after Gerry Lindgren and Steve Prefontaine, to win the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men’s Cross Country Championship three times in 1976, 1977, and 1979. His record time of 28:07 in 1976 is still the fastest 10,000-meter cross-country mark in the history of the NCAA.
He would never compete in the Olympics due to Kenyan boycotts of the Games in 1976 and 1980. Rono’s death happened just a few days after Kenya lost another Marathon Record holder, Kenyan Kitpum in a car accident.
The Athletics Kenya Executive Committee and Athletics Fraternity expressing their condolences said in a statement “We wish to convey our sincere heartfelt condolence to his family, friends, and the entire athletics fraternity during this trying moment. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” the statement added, reflecting the deep sense of loss felt across the athletics world.
