Amazing Career Lessons To Learn From Kipchoge Keino

By Kibet Tobias
Hezekiah Kipchoge Keino is a well-known retired athlete who ran for Kenyan in the 90’s. His name ‘Kipchoge” in kalenjin means “born near the grain storage shed.”
Looking at his early life, he was brought up by his aunt, following the death of both of his parents.
He is the first ever recipient of the olympic Laurel, a distinction created by the international Olympic Committee (IOC) to honor an outstanding individual for their achievements in education, culture, development and peace through sport.
His career
Throughout his career, Kipchoge earned a number of medals, half of which were gold, for being an amazing middle and long distance runner.

What are some of the top career lessons we can all learn from Kipchoge?

1. Your difficult situation should not put you down
Kipchoge came from humble beginnings. He lost his both parents when he was very young. This made his aunt to step in and raise him up.
“When I started primary school at the age of five, I ran had to run bare foot four miles to school; in the morning, home for lunch, again for afternoon school and back at the end of the day. I did this every day until I left school,” he says.
He is a true testament that your humble beginnings should never hold you back.

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2. Always keep trying after failing
When Kipchoge started his international career at Commonwealth Games in Australia, he came eleventh in 1500 metres the in 1962.
However, this did not stop him from chasing opportunities.
In 1964, he participated in the Summer Olympics where he finished fifth in 5000M and just missed qualifying for the 1500M final.
But in 1965, he won two gold medals (1500 and 5000 metres) at the inaugural All-Africa Games. He broke the 5000 m world record held by Ron Clarke, clocking 13:24.2 in the same year.
3. You should always be ready to take any new challenge
Immediately after finishing school, he became a physical training instructor for the Kenyan police force. He didn’t get into competitive running immediately.
But early in the 1960s, he demanded a greater challenge and he took up competitive athletics aside from his day job.
This indicates that you should always nature your talent to mentor others while embracing challenges.
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4. Be ready to empower the people around you
Keino has successfully opened children’s home (Lewa in Eldoret, which is today home to almost 100 orphans.
He has founded the Kip Keino Primary School & the Kip Keino High Performance Training Centre to promote education in the region.
Every day you will meet people who need your help. Just like Keino, be ready to offer your assistance. It doesn’t matter if you have a lot. The little you do can change a life.
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Conclusion,
These are just but a few lessons we can all learn from Kipchoge Keino. Your humble start should not hold you back. Always keep trying after failing, embrace new challenges and learn from them.