Matthew Birir

Matthew Birir started running when he attended the famous St. Patrick's High School in Iten, from which many great Kenyan runners have risen. At the Barcelona Olympics the main favorite was Patrick Sang. At the Olympic final it was soon clear that all the medals were going to Kenya. On the final lap the 20-year-old Birir outsprinted his older countryman Sang to win gold by 0.69 seconds. At the 1993 World Championships Birir was beaten to fourth by Italian Alessandro Lambruschini, who repeated this feat three years later at the 1996 Summer Olympics, so Birir had to settle again for fourth place.

Personal Best: 3000S – 8:08.12 (1995).