The Paris 2024 Olympics had a lot of exported athletics talent from Kenya representing other nations but how did they perform?
While Winfred Yavi continues to celebrate her heroic performance at the Paris Olympics for Bahrain, the story is different for other Kenyan-born athletes who represented other countries at the Games.
Makueni-born Yavi has enjoyed the fruits of her labour, receiving cash rewards from her adopted country, and is currently in Kenya to continue her celebrations with her family.
However, other Kenyan-born runners who turned up for various nations are licking their wounds after coming from Paris empty-handed.
1. Norah Jeruto (Kazakhstan)
Having switched allegiance from Kenya to Kazakhstan in January 2022, Jeruto took little time to bring glory to her adopted country when she won gold in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2022 World Championships.
She had missed the delayed 2020 Olympics as she waited for her change of nationality and efforts to win an Olympics medal for Kazakhstan proved futile in Paris as she finished ninth in the final in a time of 9:08.97, with Yavi winning the race.
2. Daisy Jepkemei (Kazakhstan)
Another Kenyan-born Kazakhstani who did not have a great Olympics outing is Daisy Jepkemei, having also changed nationalities in January 2022.
Jepkemei signed up for two races at the Paris Olympics, featuring in the 10,000m and 3,000m steeplechase.
However, she could only manage 17th place in 10,000m, after clocking 31:26.35, while efforts to make amends in the steeplechase proved futile when she finished 10th in 9:24.69.
3. Lonah Korlima Chemtai Salpeter (Israel)
Born in Kapkanyar, West Pokot County, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter had already stood on the podium for Israel with the prestigious bronze medal in marathon at the 2022 World Championships and finished fourth in the same competition at the 2023 World Championships, just 21 seconds behind third place.
At the Paris Olympics, however, Salpeter finished ninth in the marathon, which was won by Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan after clocking 2:26:08.
It was the second Olympics Games for the 35-year-old but the performance was an improvement on the 66th position she managed in Tokyo.
Salpeter landed in Israel in December 2008 at 20 years of age, having never left her village previously, to work as a nanny for Kenya’s Ambassador to Israel.
She would meet Israeli running coach Dan Salpeter in 2011, the pair getting married in 2014, and two years later, she gained Israeli citizenship.
4. Leonard Korir (USA)
Another Kenyan-born marathoner who found the going tough at the tough course in Paris is Leonard Korir, now running for the United States of America.
Korir finished in position 63 in a time of 2:18:45 as Ethiopian Tamirat Tola won the race.
Born in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County, the 37-year-old Korir attended Tambach Teachers’ Training College and it was at the age of 20, that his athletics talent was identified before meeting veteran coach Bro Colm O’Connell.
O’Connell advised him to try an athletics scholarship at an American university and he opted to study political science at Iona College.
Korir competed in a number of events while in university and in 2012, he turned professional. He would join the US Army in 2015 and the following year, gained eligibility to represent the United States.
5. Isaac Kimeli (Belgium)
Uasin Gishu-born Pual Kimeli represented Belgium at the Paris Olympics in both 5,000m, 10,000m but only managed eighth and 19th places respectively in the two races.
Kimeli’s mother migrated from Kenya to Belgium to work as a nurse when he was four. A young Kimeli was left in the care of his grand-parents for 10 years.
At age 15, he was finally reunited with this mother in Belgium. It was there that his PE teachers encouraged him to join a track club and in 2011, the now 30-year-old represented Belgium for the first time.
6. Nelly Jepkosgei (Bahrain)
Nelly Jepkosgei, who specialises in 800m, switched allegiance from Kenya to Bahrain in 2021 and featured at the Paris Olympics, hoping to join Yavi in winning a medal for their adopted country.
However, her Olympics ended at the preliminary stages as she was eliminated in the first round of the 800m after a fifth-place finish in her heat.
7. Stella Rutto (Romania)
Another Kenyan-born runner who had it rough at the Olympics is Romania’s Stella Rutto, who failed to advance to the 3,000m steeplechase final after finishing eighth in her first-round heat.
Having represented Kenya at junior level, and won bronze at the 2021 World U20 Championships, Rutto changed nationalities to Romania in February 2022.
