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The athletics community is once again in mourning with the passing of former athlete Henry Rono, who died at the age of 72.
In a statement released to the media, Athletics Kenya announced that the iconic athlete passed away after a brief illness at a Nairobi Hospital on Thursday.
Rono represented Kenya at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada, where he clinched gold in the men’s 3000m steeplechase and 5000m events. That same year, he also secured gold in the 3000m steeplechase and 10,000m at the All Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria.
He made history by setting four world records in the 3000m, 3000m steeplechase, 5000m, and 10,000m events.
Unfortunately, Rono did not have the opportunity to compete in the Olympics as Kenya boycotted both the 1976 and 1980 Games held in Montreal, Canada, and Moscow, Russia, respectively.
Born in Kiptaragon Village in Nandi County, Rono later moved to the US in 1986, where he resided for 33 years before returning to Kenya in 2019.
His passing comes amidst ongoing mourning for marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana, who tragically lost their lives in a road accident on Sunday.
