Samuel Tirop (born 13 January 1959 in

Nandi District Nandi County is a county in Kenya in the North Rift, occupying an area of 2,884.4 square kilometres. Its capital, Kapsabet, is the largest town in the county while other towns include Mosoriot, Tinderet, Kobujoi, Kaiboi, Kabiyet and Nandi H ...

) is a former

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

who ran in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since t ...

. Tirop's first major medal came at the

1986 Goodwill Games The 1986 Goodwill Games was the inaugural edition of the international multi-sport event created by Ted Turner, which was held from 5 – 20 July 1986. The main stadium was the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. The Ga ...

, where he was his country's sole medallist with his bronze in the 800 m. His career coincided with a period of Kenyan dominance in men's middle-distance running: Kenyans won all the major titles from 1987 to 1992 through runners such as Billy Konchellah and

Paul Ereng Paul Ereng (born 22 August 1966) is a former Kenyan athlete, and the surprise winner of the 800 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Born in Kitale, Trans-Nzoia, Kenya, Paul Ereng attended Starehe Boys Centre and School in Nairobi, Kenya. He wa ...

. As a result, he frequently missed out on major competitions due to the high calibre of opposition at the national level. He won at the East and Central African Championships in 1989 and in December he managed second at the 1989 Kenyan Trials for the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

, running a personal best of 1:44.3 minutes which ranked him eleventh in the world that year. Largely unknown outside of his home nation, he went on to upset both

Nixon Kiprotich Nixon Kiprotich (born December 4, 1962, in Baringo) is a former Kenyan 800 metres runner, who won the silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games. Previously, Kiprotich had come eighth in the 1988 Olympic final. He finished 3rd at the 1989 IAAF W ...

and Sebastian Coe to win the 800 m at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

. When asked how he had achieved such a feat at the age of 31 with little international experience, he responded that he was typically fourth or fifth at the Kenyan Championships behind World and Olympic champions for opposition. When the trials for the

1992 Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

came, Tirop again missed out on selection. Renowned Kenyan running coach Brother Colm O'Connell remarked: "You had the Olympic champion, Ereng; the world champion, Konchellah, and the Commonwealth champion, Sammy Tirop, and none of them made the team. That's what running in Kenya is like."Perlez, Jane (1992-07-02)
OLYMPICS; Kenya's Old Guard Makes Way for New
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. Retrieved on 2011-05-07.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tirop, Sammy Living people 1959 births People from Nandi County Kenyan male middle-distance runners Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Goodwill Games medalists in athletics Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games