Paul Koech gehört zu Kenias WM-Favoriten. © www.photorun.net

When the starting gun goes off at the men’s 3,000-meter World Championship steeplechase final, nearly a third of the field will be wearing the singlet of one country: Kenya.

Upon winning his heat on Sunday, Olympic champion Brimin Kipruto made it clear that the Kenyans expect no less than to win three medals in this event. Kipruto, who also won the last World Championships in Osaka, has been guaranteed an entry thanks to his victory. The three other runners comprising the formidable Kenyan contingent are Ezekiel Kemboi, who is leading this year’s world best list with a time of 7:58.85 minutes, Richard Mateelong, and Paul Koech.

The 27-year-old Paul Koech was a bit lucky making the team. At the Kenyan trials in Nairobi last month, he finished sixth overall. The Kenyan selection committee chose him, most likely, out of sympathy, because he was the world fastest steeplechase runner last year (8:01.85) and had fallen in the last water obstacle at the 2008 Olympic Trials, missing the Olympic qualification standard by nine seconds.

Koech is now hungry as ever to win his first global title. Thus far, his biggest successes include an Olympic bronze medal (2004 in Athens) as well as a victory at the African Championships in 2006. He’s run well recently in Germany. At the World Athletics Final (WAF) 2008 in Stuttgart, he won the steeplechase race for the fourth consecutive time despite strong competition from his own home country. Every year from 2004 to 2007, Koech has run a sub-8:00 minute steeplechase. In the current year’s world rankings, he is second behind Ezekiel Kemboi (7:58.85) with a time of 8:01.72.

Koech comes from the farming village Sotik, which lies on the southern part of the Kenyan Great Rift Valley. He still lives there with his seven brothers. In contrast to many other Kenyan world-class runners, he did not have to run to school as a child since his school was close to his home. He ended up deciding to run in elementary school and attributes his migration to the steeplechase as a “more or less natural development.”

While growing up, he did not have any role models. But now, he has become the idol of many Sotik children who want to grow up to become Olympians. “I try to inspire and help them. I encourage them to run and to attend school,” he says. A selfless philanthropist, Koech uses his winnings to finance ten children’s schools—an amazing act of generosity!

When Paul Koech trains in Sotik, up to 20 athletes from the region join him. Though these runners are admittedly not world-class, Koech still considers them a “good group” that he can “train very well with.”

In Sotik, he also takes on the role as coach to some of the village’s younger talent. His most notable athlete is 16-year-old Jackline Chebii who has a 3,000m personal best of 9:04.4 (which she ran at a high altitude in 2008). Last year, she placed fifth at the 3,000m Junior World Championships. At this year’s Junior Cross World Championships she came in tenth after placing sixth already in 2008. It’s quite possible that Koech won’t be the only world-class runner in his hometown anymore!