www.Kisii.Com: Syndicated news from only reputable sources [Nation, and Standard Newspapers, Kenya Times, KBC, etc.]

Legend with rich history

• 
• 

Details

Published on Thursday, 18 June 2009 06:20

He has left his fate at the mercy of any beneficiary despite his achievements.He leads a quiet life at his Isoge Settlement Scheme farm in Borabu District, a 25-acre farm the first President Jomo Kenyatta gave him as a gift for his stardom.

But that Maiyoro is a bitter man cannot be understated. He says despite bringing glory and fame to the country, heroes have not only been neglected but also forgotten.Maiyoro’s distinguished athletic career spanning over two decades started at a tender age of 14 in 1946 when he won the inter-schools championships in Kisii.

From then on, he never looked back. Nyandika won all competitions at the South Nyanza Provincial Championships all the way to the East African Championships.

Illustrious Career

After an illustrious athletic career, the curtain had to fall. It was time for Maiyoro to get off the stage and hang up his running spikes, and he did so after the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo Japan.

The 1954 3 miles at the Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Canada, is etched in his mind. His coach, Evans, went to answer a call of nature only to come back and find other participants had gone for two laps. "I didn’t know the race was starting as I didn’t understand English," he said, adding the coach returned and asked why he wasn’t running.

"I quickly removed my track and in lightning speed took to the field, at the end I could not believe it, I won the race," he recalls.