Iten a Kenyan town is Kenya's Olympic medal winning secret

18 July, 2012

Iten, a town in Kenya, seems to be the top secret for Kenya being one of the best long distance athletes producing countries. It is because of the high altitude in this town that the athletes come and train here, which helps them improve their results. Athletes who train here have been winning major competitions around the world.

KENYANS HAVE for long been ruling long distance running during the World Championships and the Olympics. They have always been making a mark for themselves in big stages such as the Olympics. When Kenyan athletes come into the picture globally, there is no way one could miss out on Iten, a town where most of these athletes train and come from. A number of athletes trained in this town have brought laurels to the nation in various competitive championships, including the Olympics.

As shown in the AFP video, early morning, when it is semi-dark, people or in fact athletes from the village move out and run. It is not just one or two athletes who trickle out to run, but a number of athletes. Most of the athletes are from the same ethnic group, Kalenjin. Renato Canove, an Athletics coach says, “They can be similar to F1, where the engines are very strong and the global weight is very less,” as per the video.

The town, Itan, does not have a huge population to boast of, but they are definitely proud of the athletes who train there as they have won a number of medals. The town is also expecting a number of medals this time around as well from athletes who have trained there. Some of the best timings that have been recorded by Kenyans last year have been from athletes who trained in Iten. The athletes benefit a lot during training, as the village with its high altitude suit these runners and help them improve upon their timing and also make them run faster for longer too. The town is 2400 above sea level.

One had always wondered as to what makes people from Kenya such good long distance runners. Now, one of the biggest sporting and athletics secrets, 'Iten' is out in public.