Samuel Tirop (born 13 January 1959 in

Nandi District Nandi District was an administrative district in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Its capital town was Kapsabet. Following the transfer of some of territory from Uganda to British East Africa, Nandi District was a subdivision of Kisumu Provinc ...

) is a former

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, ranging from 500 metres up to . The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distanc ...

who ran in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, 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 a ...

. 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 Luzhniki Stadium, Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Sov ...

, where he was his country's sole medallist with his

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

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 Billy Komintai Konchellah (born 20 October 1961 in Kilgoris, Kenya) is a former 800 m runner who won two World Championship gold medals in Rome in 1987 and Tokyo in 1991. Career His victory in the 1991 final was unexpected. He sprinted past P ...

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 is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

, 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 Wo ...

and

Sebastian Coe Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, (born 29 September 1956), often referred to as Seb Coe, is a British sports administrator, former politician and retired track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, incl ...

to win the 800 m at the

1990 Commonwealth Games The 1990 Commonwealth Games () were held in Auckland, New Zealand from 24 January – 3 February 1990. It was the 14th Commonwealth Games, and part of New Zealand's 1990 sesquicentennial celebrations. Participants competed in ten sports: at ...

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

. 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 (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

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'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Retrieved on 2011-05-07.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tirop, Sammy Living people 1959 births Athletes from Nandi County Kenyan male middle-distance runners Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Kenya Commonwealth Games athletes for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Goodwill Games medalists in athletics Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games Medallists at the 1990 Commonwealth Games 20th-century Kenyan sportsmen Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics