Less than a day after the media highlighted Kenyan legend Henry Rono’s sorry situation abroad, his fellow legend Kipchoge Keino has come out to assist Rono.
Keino, who had a hand in helping Rono secure a track scholarship at the Washington State University in 1976, said that he will do whatever it takes to see that his compatriot returns home.
“I’m ready to buy Rono his ticket. It is me who got him into competition in the US and I will make sure he comes back home,” Keino told the Nation on Wednesday. “We need him to come home and see his family.”
Both Keino and Rono were Kenyan golden boys in the 60s and 70s with the pair winning a couple of medals for Kenya with Keino winning two gold medals (Kenya’s first) in the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Rono however was not fourtunate to win any Olympic medal as Kenya had boycotted the Olympics in 1976 and 1980 when he was at his prime.
Athletics Kenya Chairman Jack Tuwei also confirmed that he has received many offers from athletes to help the 66-year-old legend. “Many other athletes are ready to help Rono because once he gets back home, he will also need financial support to settle down,” Tuwei said.
Rono, who has lived in the United States for 32 years now, sent a passionate message back to Kenya admitting that he is at his worst and would like to be helped with a ticket back to the country. When he moved, Rono had secured a coaching job in Albuquerque but life took the worst turn on him as the legend now works as a security guard at Albuquerque airport.
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