KIPROTICH Stephen

General
LONDON EXPERIENCE
He became only the second Ugandan athlete to win gold at the Olympic Games when he placed first in the marathon at the 2012 Games in London. John Akii-Bua was the first Ugandan to win gold at the Games, placing first in the 400m hurdles at the 1972 Games in Munich. "It means a lot, a lot, since 1972, we have never won a gold medal. I am very happy. I have won a medal for me, for my country, for my family, for everybody in Uganda and the world. Now I say, I can die a champion, I cannot die a useless man. I am now an important person in my country." (monitor.co.ug, 01 Oct 2020; xinhuanet.com, 23 Aug 2017)

CROSS-COUNTRY
He has also competed in international cross-country events. "In Uganda we have a very strong tradition in cross-country running. It has always been key for any athlete preparing for the track season. I have been competing in cross-country from the start of my running career, and it's very easy to find good places to train for cross-country in Uganda. In the past I would use cross-country as part of my training towards the outdoor track season. In my opinion, cross-country can serve as a build-up to compete on any surface or any competition. Whether you're preparing for road races, marathon, or track, cross-country will make you stronger and will make you a better athlete." (worldathletics.org, 24 Mar 2017)

OCCUPATION
He has served as an assistant superintendent of prisons at Uganda Prisons Service [UPS]. (observer.ug, 09 Nov 2020)

He became the first Ugandan athlete to win gold in marathon at the Olympic Games when he claimed victory at the 2012 Games in London. He was only the second athlete representing Uganda to have won an Olympic gold medal, following on from John Akii-Bua who triumphed in the men's 400m hurdles at the 1972 Games in Munich. (SportsDeskOnline, 28 Jun 2021)