Former world 800m junior record holder Japheth Kimutai is a happy man after his retirement from active athletics career that spanned for about ten years.
Kimutai, who was the 1998 Commonwealth Games 800m champion decided to give back to the community by building an athletics Training Camp called Complete Sports based in Kaptagat, Uasin Gishu County.
Born and raised in Lelmokwo, Nandi County the jovial the double Africa Junior (800m and 1,500m) champion said that when he hanged his spikes, he thought of what he would be doing and the idea of setting up the camp came up and that has been his joy of seeing young athletes who trains in the camp grow to become top athletes winning medals across the world.
“After retiring, I stayed in Europe for long and I met with friends who had similar ideas. We had casual discussions and all over a sudden a Germany friend said he wanted to sell an idea to us or to Ethiopians. I told him there was that since I have retired, I want to help the young generation to come up. We came together and we identified a facility in Kaptagat where there is a church. We approached the church under the leadership of Luka Maiyo who agreed to have the facility at the church compound. After that we elected him as the chairman of Complete Sports,” said Kimutai who set the 800m world record in at in Zurich at 1:43.64 in 1997.
As a nonprofit organization, Kimutai says they nurture talents where they want to see the best way of training realized and implemented.
“At Complete sports, we do things differently unlike others and my happiness is to see an athlete succeeding. I don’t earn salary or benefit from it but the success of an athlete is better. We have been here for 13 years but it is not that pronounced so much. We are unique in the organization,” he said.
He added that for one to qualify to join they must have completed form four, those seeking scholarship they should have good grades then the professional athletes.
“Look for example Olympic and world champion Emmanuel Korir is our product and we are proud of him. Apart from Korir, we have a number of athletes we have sent to universities. In fact Paul Ereng came and picked him here. For one to join the facility, he or she must be a form four leaver, those in need of scholarships and those who want to be professional athletes,” he concluded.
With Athletics Kenya announcing that they want to inspect athletes training camps across the country, Kimutai said they were the first camp to be inspected.
“At Complete Sports, we were the first camp to be inspected and the outcome was amazing. Chairman Youth Committee Barnabas Korir was amzed by what we were doing there. He told me that he has never seen a camp set up like that,” he said.
Japheth Kimutai profile
1978- Born as second born in a family of 7 children (Chering and Jenifer Seurei- father and mother)
1993- KCPE at Lelmokwo Primary school
1994- joins Lelmokwo Secondary school (runs away in less than a month)
1994- Joins St patrick’s Iten in Form One
1994- win silver at world junior championships in 800m
1995- Africa Junior 800m champion
1995 Africa Junior 1,500m champion
1996- world junior championships number 4
1997 World Junior 800m world record in Zurich at 1:43.64
1998- Africa Championships, gold in 800m
1998- Commonwealth Games 800m gold
1999- World championships-5
1999- All Africa games 800m gold
2000- Olympic Games semifinalist
20000 – got married to Naomi Misoi, who was also an athlete
2002- Commonwealth Games – 5
2003- World Cup- semifinals
2003- retires from active running
2011- sets up Complete Sports Training Camp