A SKIER FROM KENYA AN OLYMPIC CHAMPION?

The only Kenyan representing Kenya in XX Winter Olympics taking place in February 10-26, 2006 will be a skier Philip Boit.

Boit has qualified to 2 ski cross-country races : 10 km in classic style and 1,5 km free-style sprint. This will be his third performance in Winter Olympics.

Philip Boit made his debut as a skier during Olympics in Nagano, 1998. Then, in 10 km race in classic style he occupied last, 97 place and his time was twice longer than the winner.

With an initiative of putting Kenyan runners for a competition, which are famous for the results in discipline completely new for them- ski cross-country- came up in 1996 Nike consortium. In that time 2 sportsmen from Eldoret in west Kenya- Philip Boit and Henry Bitok were send for a training camp to Finland, where for the first time they have seen snow. Two years from that, in Nagano, Boit made it to the finish line as a last one and Bitok wasn't even qualified to the race.

In 2002, in Salt Lake City, Philip Boit improved his position reaching the finish line as a 66 runner between 71 contestants.

In Turin is at least going to leave behind a representatives of Iraq and Bahamas, making their debut in this olympic discipline. He believes not only in his success, planned consistently for years, but also in his succeed in fascinating other Kenyans with this winter sport.

We are having fingers crossed for this extraordinary sportsman and we wish him a place on a podium.

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