This archive report was first published on 9 July 2021.
Published on July 9, 2021, five Kenyan-born athletes have made the cut in the United States of America (USA) team that is set to take part in the Tokyo Olympics.
The five athletes include US cross country champion Shadrack Kipchirchir, who will be flanked by 2018 US cross-country champion Leonard Korir, Hillary Bor, Stanley Kebenei, and Emmanuel Bor, as part of the 629-member US Olympic team.
Among the selected athletes are Paul Chelimo, Hillary Bor, Bernard Keter, Aliphine Tuliamuk, and Sally Kipyego, who will represent the US in various events at the Olympics.
Paul Chelimo, a 30-year-old from Iten in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, will represent the US in the men's 5,000-metre run. He moved to the US to attend Shorter College, transferring to UNC-Greensboro, and attained US citizenship in 2014 by joining the US Army World Class Athlete Program.
Hillary Bor, 31, relocated to the US in 2007 to attend Iowa State University, where he qualified for the NCAA finals four years in a row and was second in 2009. He joined the Army, which provided a path to US citizenship in 2013.
Benard Keter, 29, will represent the US in the 3,000m steeplechase. He hails from Molo, Nakuru County, and is a member of the US Army World Class Athlete Program, training with Bor in Colorado Springs.
Aliphine Tuliamuk, 32, will represent the US in the women's marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She became a U.S. citizen in 2016 after competing for Wichita State University, where she was second in the NCAA 10,000 in 2012 and 2013.
Sally Kipyego, 35, will appear in the women's marathon alongside Aliphine. She dominated at Texas Tech University, becoming the first woman to win three straight NCAA cross country titles and the first Kenyan woman to win a crown.
