Where does your strength of mind and character come from?
I was born in Kenya. When I was four, I went to live with my grandparents. My mother, who worked in a hotel in Mombassa, met a Belgian and moved to Belgium with him. I stayed with my grandchildren and cousins, in a small house without water or electricity. My mother sent money regularly and I grew up on favourable terms. When I was 15, I finally got the documents to join her.
How was it?
I can't forget that. I came from a country where it was 25 degrees, and I arrived on 29 December with minus two degrees. I had no friends, people spoke a different language, how could I communicate with the people around me? I had a huge problem. I wanted to go back to Africa.
But then you soon found your way?
Yes, through school. I spent a few months at the Institut Saint-Guido in a class for newcomers and then, as soon as I could, I went to the Don Bosco Institute in Hal, near Brussels. I had to choose a course of study. I opted for personal assistance, a surprising choice for a boy; actually, there are a lot of girls in this section, but I didn't know that. In Kenya, I took care of my grandfather, who had Alzheimer's. In retrospect, it was a wise choice, without which my sporting career would never have taken off.
You said you wanted to help people. Is it important to you?
I want to help people and motivate them. You only live once and in the world there is a lot of suffering and poverty. Shortly after my arrival in Belgium, my grandfather died. That's what motivated me to keep going. When I did internships in nursing homes and hospitals, I didn't just do my job, I talked to patients. The teachers understood this and encouraged me to do so. They helped me with my studies. They also followed my progress in training, took an interest in competitions, and congratulated me on my successes.
Your first race was a real flop...
At school, we only went around the stadium. I didn't know you had to do four. But that's not all: the day before I had eaten a lot and I was dressed in long trousers and a scarf. So I realised that running wasn't enough... What made me decide was my coach, who told me that if one day I wanted to participate in the Olympics, I had to change my lifestyle. The bolt of lightning struck. I told myself it was possible.
So the athletic career wasn't a childhood dream?
It's more of a combination of circumstances. But I come from Kenya, the country that produces so many racing champions. When I was a kid, we looked at cross-country runners on a small computer screen, but I didn't dream of a sports career. I just wanted to wear shoes like athletes, and also be in a stadium, move. That dream has come true. I did not forget the day my mother bought me the first pair: I could choose and I took the first one I saw. I had never had shoes before.
What do you want to say to young people?
Be happy with what you have, there are people who have nothing. In sport, as in life, there are ups and downs, but difficulties make you strong. Do not doubt yourself, believe in your dream and move forward.
What would you like to say to Don Bosco?
Thanks to Don Bosco I got to school and this is where I made my first friends. Actually, the friends of then are the same as today and even the teachers of "Don Bosco" in Hal are still my friends. It is in the Salesian school that my career began. My past has made me who I am today.
The full interview is available at the following link.
