Wilson Chuma Kiprugut, Kenya’s first Olympic medalist, died on Tuesday at the age of 84, according to the Kenyan Athletics Federation.
Wilson Kiprugut died Tuesday in Kericho Hospital in the country’s west after losing consciousness at home, according to his family.
“Chuma was one of those athletes who put Kenya on the world map. This is a sad day for the country and for the world of athletics. He was an extraordinary man,” federation president Jackson Tuwei told AFP.
Wilson finished third in the 800-metre race at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. His bronze medal from the 1964 Olympics was Kenya’s first ever, inspiring other athletes to flourish on the Olympic stage.
Following his third-place finish in 1964, behind New Zealand veteran Peter Snell, the Kenyan runner earned silver in the 800m at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, this time ahead of Australian Ralph Doubell, who broke the world record that day.
After he quit the sport, he worked in Kericho as a supervisor on the tea plantations of a British multinational company.