Ezekiel Kemboi Appreciation Thread - That was the greatest final 200 (and celebration by a distance runner) ever

I think kemboi may have flinched at the line...

Kemboi - Bolt

1 - 0

Kemboi is übercool

A great final 200 to be sure. I think Coghlan '83 was at least as dominant as far as comfort level to win.

Kemboi at major Championships:

2nd - 2002 Commonwealth

2nd - 2003 World Champs

1st - 2004 Olympics

2nd - 2005 World Champs

1st - 2006 Commonwealth

2nd - 2007 World Champs

7th - 2008 Olympics

1st - 2009 World Champs

2nd - 2010 Commonwealth

1st - 2011 World Champs

Four Gold, five Silver. A superb championship runner, not to mention the longevity.

More Kemboi medals, in addition to the above:

1st - 2003 All Africa Games

2nd - 2007 All Africa Games

2nd - 2010 African Championships

Last lap and celebration here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oftuz9YhkUw#t=47s

You GOTTA WATCH IT.

The way he flew the water was awesome.

this was awesome. i'm now a fan of kemboi

As am I. I was really a fan of his, uh, hand motions there at the end.

All of the steeple talk this season has been about Kipruto and his 7:53 and the failures of Koech at the trials and is quest to make the team.

Very little talk about Kemboi except for his failure to show up to camp. He came into the meet very quietly. Brilliant run.

blabby wrote:

Kemboi at major Championships:

2nd - 2002 Commonwealth

2nd - 2003 World Champs

1st - 2004 Olympics

2nd - 2005 World Champs

1st - 2006 Commonwealth

2nd - 2007 World Champs

7th - 2008 Olympics

1st - 2009 World Champs

2nd - 2010 Commonwealth

1st - 2011 World Champs

Four Gold, five Silver. A superb championship runner, not to mention the longevity.

Quote from Kemboi who entertained reporters for over an hour like he did in Berlin:

Kemboi: "I want to run for 10 more medals and be a supernatural runner."

I have to agree with Rojo, I couldn't believe what I was seeing out on the track. It was definitely... supernatural !

rojo wrote:

Kemboi is the man.

I loved the celebration. Incredibly fun. He deserves it.

Remember what you said about the French guy who won the Diamond League steeple chase in Paris in 09?

That final water jump is what won him the race because he cleared the water pit and the guy behind fell in it.

On top of all his achievements, he's such a friendly, down-to-earth, likeable fella as well. Kemboi fan for nearly a decade, here.

His mohawk and dance after winning this year was pretty good, but remember when he had a pretty awesome haircut when he won in Berlin, and the 400 hurdles was the next event and he started hurdling them barefoot and barechested while wearing the kenyan flag as a cape?

He crossed the 200m line on the back straight at 7:43.2 and finished at 8:14.8. So his last ~220 was 31.6 despite the fact that he had to clear 2 barriers including the water jump and he was celebrating and running out to lane 7 before jogging across the line.

That's about 28.7 for the last 200, and it looks like he could have run MUCH faster.

The first Kenyan I've seen sporting a Mohawk!

BAMF

I guess he didn't take his shirt off until afterwards.

http://www.life.com/image/89853367

http://trackandfieldphoto.com/DisplayJpg.php?090818_1758_3231_RLM&next=1

Dingler wrote:

His mohawk and dance after winning this year was pretty good, but remember when he had a pretty awesome haircut when he won in Berlin, and the 400 hurdles was the next event and he started hurdling them barefoot and barechested while wearing the kenyan flag as a cape?

Link???