Julius Kariuki

Julius Kariuki's athletic career started slowly. He made his international début at the 1984 Summer Olympics, where he finished seventh in the steeplechase. In 1985 he won steeple at the African Championships and then followed that up with a victory in a slow race at the IAAF World Cup. At the Seoul Olympics Kariuki was mostly considered the third-string Kenyan runner but, in the final, after a very fast start, he and countryman Peter Koech broke clear and, a lap later, Kariuki sped away from his more experienced teammate and went on to win the gold medal. In 1989 Kariuki won the 10K at the World Student Games and the steeplechase at the IAAF World Cup. In 1990 he won gold easily at the Commonwealth Games and finished fourth at the following year's World Championships. Kariuki remained one of the world's top steeplechasers for several more years after that, but the dominance of Kenyan talent was so great that he was never able again to make the national team at a major international championship.

Personal Best: 3000S – 8:05.51 (1988).