Paul Kimutai Ruto, the former world 800m champion, still drives and maintains his Mercedes Benz, which he got as a prize 29 years ago.
Ruto, who hails from Uasin Gishu County, won the 1993 World Championships in 1:44.71, defeating then-race favorite Billy Konchella, who finished third in 1:44.89, and Italian Giuseppe D’Urso, who finished second in 1:44.86 in Stuttgart, Germany.
“When I won the race, my prize was a Mercedes Benz C180 and I still use it now. I still drive that vehicle because it is my pride and I have to show my children and grandchildren to know that I got it through too much sweat by running and I was blessed with it,” said Ruto.
He claims to have maintained the vehicle and used it as a museum for his children.
“They always ask me how I got it and I reply that ‘I earned through running’, which is a motivation to them, knowing that one day they will also run and get such great prizes,” he said.
Apart from Konchella, the retired Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) veteran from Lanet competed against William Tanui, who finished in 7th place with a time of 1:45.80.
He became a coach after retiring from active sports, working with 81 battalions because to leg difficulties.
“I would like to tell our leaders to help some of the former athletes currently languishing in poverty. Some former athletes are so drunk that they cannot be recognized as former champions. Also, young runners should invest well in their youthful stage,” he said.
“By then, we used to run with a notion of winning but the current generation is lucky because one can earn money easily. At the same time many athletes don’t practice a lot on roads but do gym work unlike us,” he said.
He also emphasized on education, saying that it has good tidings at the end of the career.
“Education can help many athletes and some even earn scholarships to study abroad, which is good to build their future,” he said.
