Tecla Sang at Moi University West Campus. [Photo: Courtesy]
At the age of 62, Tecla Sang contribution in athletics is still immense many years after she hang up her spikes.
Sang is not your ordinary sports personality but special for that matter having became the first Kenyan female athlete to compete in Olympic Games.
She is also the first Kenyan female athlete to win All-Africa Games gold medal in athletics as well as earning Kenya a second medal in commonwealth Games after Sabina Chebichii became the first female athlete from Kenya to win a commonwealth medal.
Many young athletes who want to be successful in athletics have been looking upon her as their role model.
Tecla a renowned sprinter and the first Kenyan woman athlete to take part in Olympics competed at the 1968 and 1972 Mexico and West Germany Olympics respectively in the women’s 400m.
Kenya ranked third at the 1968 Olympics with 8 medals (3 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze) and nineteenth at the 1972 Olympics after garnering 9 medals (gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze).
Tecla was the first Kenyan woman athlete to compete in Olympics alongside Elizabeth Chesire and Lydia Stephens.
Born in 1955 in Mosombor village in Nandi County and currently leaves in Eldoret put Kenya on the global map in her 400m specialty race and later 800m.
She grew up in Nandi making international athletic debut at the East Africa Championships in 1965 while still in primary.
Tecla won gold in 400m at the event after which she decided to concentrate on athletics despite being a volleyball player.
“Sport was a must for everyone during our time and this motivated us to take it up,'' she said.
She has Common wealth Games, All-Africa Games and several other international races’ titles tucked under her medal- laden belt.
The sprinter who is currently a tutor at Moi University, though posting a sterling performance of 53.06 seconds at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico, she was eliminated in the first round of the competitions but advanced to quarterfinals at the 1972 Olympics in Munich in West Germany.
“It was my first time to go outside of Africa during the 1968 Olmpics.That made me panic because I was competing with athletes from different parts of the world and I never went past the heats," Sang said.
Before that she had won a gold medal in 400m at the 1972 African Championships in Athletics in Algeria.
In 1973 her star in athletics continued to shine when obliterated the field in Nigeria during the second All-Africa Games to win the 400m race and became the first Kenyan woman to win a gold medal in athletics in the event.
At Christchurch in New Zealand in 1974 when Kenya has taken its team for the competition, Tecla though in the team and scheduled to run in 400m, never did it after she was airlifted to United States.
She had gotten a scholarship from the government to study physical education and Psychology and since college registration was commencing on the same, she left New Zealand for Chicago State University.
“When I was in New Zealand for the Commonwealth games, I was informed that the semester had begun and I decided to leave the games and went to register at the University. Since I had landed a scholarship, I viewed education as my priority. Upto now I can say I benefited a lot from the government through the scholarship.”Tecla said.
Though making Team Kenya to the 1976 Olympics in Canada, Kenya pulled out of the games at the last minute to protest Apartheid in South Africa.
Apartheid was a system of racial segregation in S.Africa where the rights of its inhabitants (blacks) were curtailed by the Dutch and British that rue in S.Africa before their independence.
“ I remember when we had arrived at Montreal in Canada ready for the Olympics and we were certainly told we will not compete at the games.”
She added that their officials who accompanied them for the show told them that many African countries had pulled out of the games due to what was happening in S.Africa at the time.
It is in US where she switched to 800m race and intensified her training winning gold 800m and 400m races t the 1978 All Africa Games in Algiers from which she fully concentrated in the two-lap race (800m).
“When in US I got a coach by the name Dorothy Rechey who guided me in athletics she was the one who realized my potential in 800m and told me to train for it,” said Tecla.
During the same year at the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton in Canada, Tecla added another gold to her medals’ racket in the 800m, an event whom she was the only black athlete.
“That commonwealth games is my greatest moment in athletics because I was the only black competing in the 800m race. It was like I was competing for Africa.”
She then graduated at the University in 1980 but went for further studies at the University of New Mexico until 1982 when she was employed as a physical education lecturer at Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology after retiring as an active athlete.
In 1985 she switched to Mosoriot Teachers College on the same capacity until 1988 when she was employed at Moi University West Campus where she currently teaches the Sports Management course at the University.
She is the founder of Moi University Open cross country (1990) which is still run up to date as well as Treasurer Kenya Universities Sports Association Rift Valley region.
Apart from educating her five children (Three girls and Two boys) to university level, the lady has invested in real estate and as well as a full time farmer.
“During our time there was no money earned unlike the present athletes who are really getting a lot of money. The little we got made us successful in life because we planned well.”She narrates.
Tecla married by her late husband Julius Sang , a former Olympic 400m bronze medallist-said though the proceeds from the athletics at then were meagre, education is of great importance in someone’s’ life.
She said that active athletes should make education a priority since and invest well in income generating activities before they retire from athletics.
“Each time new champions emerge because you get exhausted and you will not run continuously. So invest well and consider taking up managerial course that will help you in managing you wealth.”
Basking in the glory of her successful athletic career, Tecla Sang is indeed an inspirational icon to be emulated not only by athletes but also anyone who wants to succeed in life.
Editors Note: This article first appeared on habarionline