The athletics community is once again in mourning after the death of 72-year-old former athlete Henry Rono.
Athletics Kenya revealed in a press release that the renowned athlete passed away on Thursday at a Nairobi hospital after a brief illness.
Rono won gold in the men's 3000m steeplechase and 5000m at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada, while competing for Kenya. The same year, he won gold in the 10,000-meter freestyle and 3000-meter steeplechase events at the All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria.
In addition, he created history by shattering four world records in the three-, five-, and ten-kilometer races.
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Nevertheless, Rono needed to be more fortunate to participate in the Olympics since Kenya abstained from the Montreal, Canada, and Moscow, Russia, Games in 1976 and 1980, respectively.
Rono was born in Kiptaragon Village in Nandi County. He moved to the US in 1986 and stayed there for 33 years before returning in 2019.
His passing occurs at a time when the country and the entire world are still in mourning over the deaths of coach Gervais Hakizimana and marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, who perished in a horrific car accident on Sunday.
