With the Vancouver Olympics gearing up to begin in a few days, there is going to be a worldwide swarm around the games. Sure because many countries cannot compete in the winter olympics because they have no snow/ice to practice with it is an inspirational story that one man from Kenya, Philip Boit, is going to take a run to win a medal in skiing for his country being their only competitor. “I am really happy to be representing Kenya in this year’s Winter Olympics. It’s a big achievement and a great opportunity to be the only Kenyan and one of the very few Africans at the Games,” said Boit.
Training in Finlad for a long time, he is hoping to do well in possibly his final Olympic games, after slimming down his times 4 min for the 10K and 7 minutes for the 15K. His best position is 6th last, and he hopes to improve that and create a brighter future for Kenyans, and other Africans in the Winter Olympics. If he can place in the top 50 it would be a great day for his country which is known for their Summer Olympic runners.
“I guess it is still weird for people to see a Kenyan on skis – after all, I grew up on a farm where my parents grew maize and reared cows. But someone will find their way to the snowy mountains if they really want to.” After taking up Skiing in 1996 being sponsored by Nike, he finished last in his first Olympics, and 4th last in the next one. He says that baby steps are what a country needs to help get children involved in sports and to help raise the bar for Kenya that is very low when it comes to skiing.
He is a great inspirational role model for Kenyans and maybe a few decades from now we will see an improved number of countries competing in the winter games and making it a more competitive one.
