0:00:03 > 0:00:09In 1968, I found my true athletics hero in Kip Keino of Kenya.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13To me, he was the Mohammed Ali of the track world.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17I was only 15 years old and winning local races in Dublin.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21I realised then that I wanted to be a runner.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26I quit playing soccer, to concentrate solely on a career in athletics.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28COMMENTATOR: But it's Keino coming home
0:00:28 > 0:00:31to become the Olympic Steeplechase Champion.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35By the 1972 Munich Olympics,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Kenyan athletes were the talk of the track world.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39COMMENTATOR: Mike Boit for Kenya.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41And so the champion comes to the front.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47At this stage, I was now attending Villanova University in the United States
0:00:47 > 0:00:49and pursuing my own career in athletics.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52COMMENTATOR: Eamonn Coghlan leads it at the tape!
0:00:52 > 0:00:54As my career developed,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57I got to know, and race against, the best that Kenya had produced -
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Mike Boit, Henry Rono, Wilson Waigwa.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02These men, like Kip Keino, had inspired
0:01:02 > 0:01:05a nation of athletes that would follow.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09For that next generation,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12there is an Irishman responsible for much of their success.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17Brother Colm O'Connell has been a mentor and coach to athletes setting world records,
0:01:17 > 0:01:22winning World Championships and, the ultimate accolade of all, Olympic gold medals.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32I've come to Kenya to meet Brother Colm and I want to find out how this country
0:01:32 > 0:01:35has produced more world-class runners than any other nation.
0:01:48 > 0:01:55Iten is a small town that lies 8,500 feet above sea level in Africa's Great Rift Valley.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00With a small population of about 4,000 people,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04this modest town has become a focal point for Kenyan distance running.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11It is here that Brother Colm O'Connell has worked for the past 25 years.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21St Patrick's High School has become the engine room of Kenya's
0:02:21 > 0:02:25success in turning out world and Olympic champions.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34It's not easy. You're in a tough, tough sport.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38It's only going to be the survival of the best.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41But now's the time to lay your foundation.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44That's why we're taking it easy for you to learn.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49We want you to learn about the sport. This is not just a training camp, this is a learning camp.
0:02:51 > 0:02:57So athletes who can learn exercises, learn the value of exercises, the value of certain types of training.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58That's what's important.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10I never really considered my coaching ability a talent.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15I came to Kenya with a certain openness to fit in,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17wherever it would take me, so to speak.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19And it just happened to be athletics.
0:03:21 > 0:03:28I think when you get into a teaching job, in Ireland anyway, you tend to stay in the same place,
0:03:28 > 0:03:33in the same school, and it becomes a bit of a routine in your life.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35So I was a bit afraid of that, a little bit thinking about,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39"Is this how my life is going to be for the next 20-30 years?"
0:03:41 > 0:03:48So I felt coming to Kenya would certainly open up new opportunities and maybe even a new look on life.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52New challenges. So it appealed to me in that sense.
0:03:53 > 0:04:00And on 17th March '76, I was told, "OK, you're going, get ready."
0:04:03 > 0:04:09I had seen athletics meets on television and Olympics and I had seen and heard of people like
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Kipchogi Keino, I knew who they were,
0:04:11 > 0:04:15but no knowledge of coaching or really having worked with an athlete.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Of course, when I came to St Patrick's then, there was a tradition in the school.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21They had produced international athletes before I came.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23So there was a programme in place.
0:04:23 > 0:04:29At the time I arrived Pete Foster, the brother of Brendan Foster, the Olympic athlete for Britain,
0:04:29 > 0:04:36he basically handed me a stopwatch, starting blocks, whistles, tape measures -
0:04:36 > 0:04:42all the paraphernalia inside the basket - and said, "It's all yours now, you're the coach."
0:05:17 > 0:05:20There are four things that we look at - F-A-S-T.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22F - focus.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24A - your alignment.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26S - your stability.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29T - your timing. Timing with the ground.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32As you know yourself, that tempo off the ground.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46If you look at their face, when you look at them coming towards you, you see their eyes,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50the position of their heads and their eye focus, where they're looking.
0:05:51 > 0:05:57So there's no real physical stress or strain and that is the purpose of this particular session.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06Because they're running slow, also they can concentrate on their technique of running.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08They can think about their running.
0:06:08 > 0:06:14They don't have to think about, "What position I'm in or who's going to make a move in the group?"
0:06:14 > 0:06:16- Everything is controlled.- Correct.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20- Is this still just part of their warm-up at the moment? - No, this is the work-out.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22- And they won't go any harder? - No, this is it.
0:06:28 > 0:06:34Because many of them come from a background where they only see athletics as an exertion.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39They don't see it as a discipline, they don't see it as a focus
0:06:39 > 0:06:43and as something you can actually bring out from inside.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48They, kind of, see it just pounding the road or doing very hard track sessions.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53I'm trying to convince them, from a young age that there are a lot more little aspects to the sport.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18You build them up, so he will do this faster and faster.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22In a sense, you will do certain things to distract the body.
0:07:22 > 0:07:28Because things are going on around you in a race and even your arms and legs are almost a distraction
0:07:28 > 0:07:33to your core strength, but can your core strength hold during the whole race?
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Or, as happens to many athletes, it collapses.
0:07:35 > 0:07:41Suddenly their hands start to flail, their legs start to wobble, their head starts to roll.
0:07:41 > 0:07:48So suddenly you have lost control of it and it's the core strength that's going to sustain.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53So you, in a sense, you almost lock it into position before the race starts.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Most times in Ireland, when I'd look at some of the lads I would train,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07the tendency for them is to be
0:08:07 > 0:08:09intense about their training all the time.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Over here, it's to be relaxed about their training.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Every single session you do, you don't have to get the very best out of yourself.
0:08:16 > 0:08:22They warmed up for ten minutes and then did 30 minutes of diagonal running on a football pitch.
0:08:22 > 0:08:28They came away not feeling exhausted, but feeling like they could really do more.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Whereas we have the tendency to try and run ourselves into the ground
0:08:32 > 0:08:36and if we don't get sick at the end of the session, then we're not benefiting from it.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Over here, it's totally the opposite.
0:08:43 > 0:08:50For all its previous success, the Olympic boycotts of 1976 and 1980, because of apartheid,
0:08:50 > 0:08:54prevented Kenyans from exploding onto the scene earlier.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00But it was during this period that St Patrick's was starting to train future world champions.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05I suppose for the first few years, I did not realise how good the athletes were,
0:09:05 > 0:09:13because they were only against themselves, they were only running in local meets and in local stadiums.
0:09:13 > 0:09:21So it was only slowly in the early '80s, when some went to a couple of competitions here and there.
0:09:21 > 0:09:291983, the twin Cheruiyots went to Munich for a friendly competition of Kenya versus Germany
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and each of them broke a world junior record.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36It was only then I began to realise, they're among the best in the world.
0:09:36 > 0:09:44It was only then it kind of opened up for me, to realise this thing is working, we're getting somewhere.
0:09:44 > 0:09:51At the end of the dining hall here, we display photographs and records
0:09:51 > 0:09:54of various aspects in the history of the school.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59This in a sense is a, kind of, way of keeping our present generation of students
0:09:59 > 0:10:03reminded of the achievements of the school over the years.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08We have here Peter Rono, Olympic Champion, 1988.
0:10:08 > 0:10:14St Patrick's had ten past students in Seoul in 1988 at the Olympics.
0:10:14 > 0:10:22- 800 metres?- 800 metres, 1,500 metres.- 5,000 metres.- And steeple. - And bronze?- And bronze in 10,000.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And a silver in the marathon, with Douglas Wakiihuri.
0:10:28 > 0:10:34We have a photograph here of David Rudisha and Sylvester Kirwa, who was a 400 metre runner.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Myself, at the back.
0:10:36 > 0:10:43- Here we have the twin Cheruiyots. - I remember seeing this photograph.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46That is from Time magazine, 1984.
0:10:46 > 0:10:52These were still students in the school, secondary school students, when they represented Kenya.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Kipkoech went as far as the semifinal in the 1,500.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01Charles was fifth in the final of the 5,000, which was won by Said Aouita.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06It is so inspiring to our younger kids to know who has passed through here and sat here as a young kid
0:11:06 > 0:11:12day after day, when they were in school, and then went on to achieve Olympic or world fame.
0:11:12 > 0:11:13It is amazing.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20In modern athletics, coaches and agents are everywhere to be seen.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24The sport that is such a test of one individual
0:11:24 > 0:11:28is now surrounded by professionals, bringing different agendas.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37- COMMENTATOR:- The superstar in the making from Kenya, the leader at the moment.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Brother Colm breaks the rule and stays in Kenya,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42while many of his top athletes compete throughout the world.
0:11:45 > 0:11:52- COMMENTATOR:- The legendary Irish coach, Brother Colm, from St Patrick's College in Iten,
0:11:52 > 0:11:53says he's the greatest talent...
0:11:53 > 0:11:59Any athletes I have, have been with me from the beginning of their athletic career.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Therefore, they are well used to the idea of having to cope on their own.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10During the training, you prepare them for that, both mentally and physically.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17So, none of them ever feel that, "I need you to be there", when the competition comes.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24- COMMENTATOR:- Augustine Choge, he is going to go under 13 minutes
0:12:24 > 0:12:28and win the Commonwealth Games 5,000 metres final.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34In second place is Craig Mottram, gallant in second, and third is Benjamin Limo.
0:12:34 > 0:12:42But Augustine Choge has gone to the next level. A new Games record too, 12.56.42.
0:12:43 > 0:12:51It's absolutely fantastic to see the fruits of all the work and all the days you spend
0:12:51 > 0:12:56behind the scenes - the mornings, the days sharpening the skills.
0:12:56 > 0:13:03And I think people very often don't realise what has gone on behind the scenes before you see this.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06This is only the icing on the cake.
0:13:06 > 0:13:14I watched that race exactly as I am now, sitting here about 1.30 in the afternoon, Kenya time, alone.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19It's really the only final I ever watched sitting alone.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23People would always come and want to see who was running,
0:13:23 > 0:13:29but that day, it just happened to be nobody around.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34And so I remember very well, when he finished, saying,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37"Who am I going to tell? There's nobody around!"
0:13:38 > 0:13:45So it was kind of an eerie feeling, that here you have this feeling of success
0:13:45 > 0:13:52and joy and exuberation and you have nobody to talk to!
0:14:04 > 0:14:08The formula times the number to molecular forces.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12A mark. Give him a mark.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18So, do we have any athletes at this class? Hands up those great runners.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24How many great chemistry students do we have in this class?
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Hands up!
0:14:26 > 0:14:32Well, can you tell me what chemistry do the great Kenyan athletes have that makes them superstar runners?
0:14:32 > 0:14:36- What's the chemistry?- Milk!- Milk?
0:14:36 > 0:14:37LAUGHTER
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Is that a goat's milk?
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Cow's milk! Do you know what we call milk in Ireland? Bainne.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Now tell me, I'm going to ask one more question...
0:14:50 > 0:14:54Who is the latest hero to come from this area?
0:14:54 > 0:14:58- ALL: David Rudisha - Who?- David Rudisha!
0:14:58 > 0:14:59- Who?- David Rudisha!
0:14:59 > 0:15:02David Rudisha.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Brother Colm's roll of champions continues.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17The eyes of Kenya are firmly fixed on young David Rudisha.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21In 2010, he broke the world 800 metre record,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23not once, but twice, within a fortnight.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Rudisha had beaten Colm's previous student, Wilson Kipketer's record,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32held since 1997.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37I first saw him in primary school. I saw him running.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38I saw his physical size.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41I saw his stride pattern.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42I saw his relaxation.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47You know, not stressed, not really flailing.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Somebody who was running in a controlled way.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54He was prepared to leave home as a young man, move schools,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57be in a place where he knew there's a programme that works.
0:15:57 > 0:16:04That showed me also a determination and a focus that he had.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09David is a Masai, which is a bit different.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12He comes from... These are famous,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16one of the most famous tribes in Kenyan, especially in terms of tourism,
0:16:16 > 0:16:21because they are nomadic pastoralists and still lead a nomadic way of life.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25Within four months, David will bid for his first World Championship win,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and of course, the ultimate goal of all,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30an Olympic gold medal in London 2012.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Yet Brother Colm's approach to dealing with the 2010
0:16:35 > 0:16:37World Athlete of the Year
0:16:37 > 0:16:41is to make him do a training session with the school's junior athletes.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45He knows, or realises, the value of this kind of workout
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and structure in their training.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49I suppose the big danger, really,
0:16:49 > 0:16:51would be if someone like David,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54and not just David, I'm not really singling him out,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56but an athlete who breaks world records,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58wins Olympic gold medals,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01wins World Championships, starts making a few quid,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03all of a sudden, it could go to their head.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06But by coming back here, working out with the juniors, it keeps them grounded.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09- It reminds them of exactly where they've come from.- Exactly.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11And that's so important for them,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15because you're, kind of, living in two worlds.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19You're living in the world of media attention and the iconic status,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23but there must be a time when you must get back to reality.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Tell me, when you compete now against the Americans,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32against the Europeans, coming out of Kenya,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34what do you see is really different
0:17:34 > 0:17:38that you athletes do here compared to the Americans or the Europeans?
0:17:38 > 0:17:41When we are young,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44we were barefooted for play,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47without shoes all the time, you know.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50Like for us, we are used to look after our cattle,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- you know, playing with friends. - Yeah.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55You have that good feeling with the ground.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00- That also strengthen your ankles. - Yes.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02You have a nice feeling with the ground.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04I think that is also very important.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06So the so-called protection
0:18:06 > 0:18:10we in Europe and America get from wearing shoes at a young age,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12we should throw that out the door
0:18:12 > 0:18:17and we should not give our children any shoes until they are ten or 11 years age?
0:18:17 > 0:18:21I'm not saying that! In Africa, it is not that we have shoes.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24- Sometimes in some family we don't afford.- Yeah.
0:18:24 > 0:18:30Sometimes when you go at school you see others walking barefoot.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34If you have one, you only wear during special occasions.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Kenya's success in athletics
0:18:43 > 0:18:46has now become a way out for aspiring runners.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50At the heart of this is a desire to escape a poverty
0:18:50 > 0:18:52that is evident throughout Kenya.
0:18:52 > 0:18:53From an early age,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57the young runner is only too aware that success on the track
0:18:57 > 0:18:59will help relieve their family's suffering.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05And it is no coincidence that all of Kenya's success stories
0:19:05 > 0:19:09come from poor rural areas and small farms.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17When they grow up as young people,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19they grow up in very difficult conditions.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20Hardship is not new to them.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24It's built into your system that you must be a disciplined person,
0:19:24 > 0:19:25you must be a focused person
0:19:25 > 0:19:28if you want to get out of this trap of poverty.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33So they all have this ambition to succeed, to get on in life.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12The distance between the home and the school
0:20:12 > 0:20:15was about two kilometres,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17so I used to run when I was going to school,
0:20:17 > 0:20:22back home for lunch, then go back to school for evening lessons.
0:20:22 > 0:20:28We used to train with Rudisha, because he's a sprinter, 800 metre,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30and I'm also running 800.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33What does it feel like when you're actually warming up
0:20:33 > 0:20:36and training with him? How do you feel about that?
0:20:36 > 0:20:38I feel very nice training with him.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43I just admire to be like him, be a record holder like him,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46and also to become a world champion.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Well, Silas, you're only 18 years of age right now.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53Tell me how many times a week, how many times a day do you train?
0:20:53 > 0:20:57During school days, I only train twice a day.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Now I am in holiday, I used to train three times -
0:21:03 > 0:21:04in the morning, mid-morning and evening.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Wake up at five in the morning.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09Five o'clock in the morning?
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Do you know that most Irish boys your age
0:21:12 > 0:21:15are only coming home at five o'clock in the morning?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- Tell me, do you learn a lot from Brother Colm?- Yeah.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22That you have to concentrate on your training,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25follow the programme,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28just to have enough time to relax.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30It's made me believe in myself.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35In a fiercely patriarchal society,
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Brother Colm set up the first training programme for girls
0:21:39 > 0:21:41within St Patrick's.
0:21:41 > 0:21:42In 1997,
0:21:42 > 0:21:47Sally Barsosio became Kenya's first female world champion.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Well, these are a sponsorship
0:21:52 > 0:21:56by Adidas shoe company to our training camp.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59We're going to give them out now to our junior athletes.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00For many of them,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03this might be the first time they've actually worn spikes.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Wearing spikes like these is a real novelty for them and, of course,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12it boosts their morale and, you know, they feel real, actually.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15It's now they're there with the best because they see, of course,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18the more elite athletes who train in the area
0:22:18 > 0:22:20wearing spikes when they're on the track,
0:22:20 > 0:22:21and they now, kind of,
0:22:21 > 0:22:25feel that they're part of the athletic community in the local area.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28- This is like a graduation ceremony for them today, is it?- Exactly.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30They feel they're special now.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34'They've been singled out and they have reached the stage where they can afford to be given
0:22:34 > 0:22:35'a pair of spikes.'
0:22:35 > 0:22:38When you wear spiked shoes, you have to get used to them,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40so you have to use them.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43Don't just keep them for competition.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Don't wait until you have a competition.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Because if you run or just put them on when they're new,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51it will hurt your feet in places, your toe, here, here,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53different places, they will hurt.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57So it's better you use them also sometimes in training.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01So when we go to track on Friday, you should be trying your spikes.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04You don't have to wear them during the whole track session,
0:23:04 > 0:23:05but at least during some of it.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Good, OK. In.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11'Most of them get used to it fairly quickly.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14'They'll wear them now for the next few weeks in training,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16'and then they'll wear them in competition.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19'You do get the odd individual who's not comfortable in spikes,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21'and you'll often see them during local races
0:23:21 > 0:23:25'stopping in the middle of a middle or long-distance race
0:23:25 > 0:23:28'and just throwing off the spikes and just continuing barefooted.'
0:23:28 > 0:23:31What's that, seven? Seven.
0:23:31 > 0:23:32She wants an eight.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Have you eight here? There are eights here. You're lucky.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Everybody OK? Happy now?
0:23:47 > 0:23:50These spikes, you mind them carefully, very carefully.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54If you lose them, you run barefoot. No spikes. OK?
0:23:56 > 0:24:00When I first got a pair of spikes, I couldn't believe my eyes, too,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03that I was going to get a pair of spikes.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07When I put the spikes on, I felt as if I was going to be able to fly across the track,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09because I was wearing something lighter.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13But more importantly, when I got these spikes the very first time,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15I wore them to bed.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19I couldn't wait until the next morning, to get out of the bed,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21put my feet in the ground
0:24:21 > 0:24:23and really fly along with these new spikes.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27- COMMENTATOR:- The 1,500m Olympic final underway.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31And Keino will never be caught. The Kenyan...
0:24:31 > 0:24:36I've been offered a chance to meet my childhood hero, Kip Keino.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40I remember when I started running. I wanted to be like him.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44I even changed my running style, to the dismay of my coach,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48as I started to lean forward, just like Kip.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52'I want to talk to him and get his take on why Kenya produces
0:24:52 > 0:24:54'so many great athletes.'
0:24:55 > 0:24:56What was life like for you
0:24:56 > 0:25:01as a young boy in the '50s and in the '60s here?
0:25:01 > 0:25:04In the 60s, I was going to school, running in the school,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07representing my school,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09in various activities -
0:25:09 > 0:25:15cross-country, track and field... football, volleyball.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19And, later on, I realised I'm a good runner.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22But you did all this running from the time you were a young schoolboy,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25- to and from school? - Yes, I used to run to school,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29run back home, run to school, and that was a lot of stamina.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33And...when they had a school competition,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35I was able to perform well.
0:25:35 > 0:25:36Tell me this, though.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41We always hear stories about what makes the Kenyans great champions.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45What is it, in your mind, that allows Kenya to produce
0:25:45 > 0:25:47so, so, so many athletes?
0:25:47 > 0:25:52I think, um... To me, there's no secret. It's hard work.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57You have to work very hard, to be able to be among the best.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01And three-quarters of it is mental. Mental preparation is the key thing.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06You prepare an athlete mentally, physically, and you tune him
0:26:06 > 0:26:08towards the competition.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11And, first and foremost, you build him up
0:26:11 > 0:26:14by making him compete in cross-country.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Then, from there, you move to the track and field.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19And you build it up.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22And you can be able to advise the athletes,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25"This is the way forward." "You're improving." "You're not improving."
0:26:25 > 0:26:28"You need to adjust on this." And that's all.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Nothing, no secret. A coach is doing the guidance.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Giving him, "This is what you need to do."
0:26:35 > 0:26:38People like Brother Colm, he come from Ireland.
0:26:38 > 0:26:39He has...
0:26:39 > 0:26:43When he came to this place, he didn't know anything about running,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46but when you sit with athletes and those things and so forth,
0:26:46 > 0:26:51and you see, by doing that you are able to be able to adjust
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and mould an athlete to be a good athlete,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56and he has done a lot for us.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01Is there any one...one thing in your mind that sticks out
0:27:01 > 0:27:04that makes the Kenyan athlete superior?
0:27:04 > 0:27:08I don't think I have.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12The only thing is advice. First and foremost, self-esteem.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Respect yourself, to be respected.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16If you have self-esteem,
0:27:16 > 0:27:21you can be able to guide yourself for a better resolve.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26Always, you respect others and you respect yourself
0:27:26 > 0:27:29and you can be able to ask the questions,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33"Where am I going wrong? Where am I doing right?"
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Early one morning, I came across Samuel,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32a young man from the area
0:29:32 > 0:29:36who still carries ambitions to be a professional athlete.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40He was on his way to meet other runners around the back roads of Iten.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46We followed him down these magnificent pathways.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48The terrain is actually perfect for running on.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52Nice and soft, nice and compact.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58And, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I see two athletes coming,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01then three athletes, then four, then ten, then 20.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04And all of a sudden we meet them all congregating at a point
0:30:04 > 0:30:09where there were approximately 50 or 60 athletes, who grew out of one.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13I asked them what they were doing this morning. They said they were doing a fartlek session.
0:30:13 > 0:30:18The fartlek session is going to consist of 17 times two minutes,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21with one-minute rest in between each of those two minutes.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24A gruelling workout, here in 8,000 feet, in altitude.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45They all hope and dream that some day they're going to become
0:30:45 > 0:30:49elite successful athletes, but it's not for all.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53I mean, the sport nowadays is so competitive that so few of them
0:30:53 > 0:30:59actually make it to the top, with the result that a lot of the ones you see are there,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02as they say here, trying their luck,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05hoping that they'll get a breakthrough,
0:31:05 > 0:31:12that some foreign agent will see them training and will pick them out
0:31:12 > 0:31:17or even some coach will identify them as having great potential.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19Even the lifestyle of getting out, doing exercise,
0:31:19 > 0:31:25living a healthy life, you know, there are pluses to it, as well.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29It's better than just maybe hanging around a village or a town
0:31:29 > 0:31:31or a city, hoping you'll get a job.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38And what's the main, I guess, source of income for these people?
0:31:38 > 0:31:45- Well, agriculture.- Agriculture? - There's really no industry in Iten. The only industry's athletics!
0:31:45 > 0:31:46THEY LAUGH
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Many, many of Kenya's success stories,
0:31:49 > 0:31:53be it on track or in marathon, cross-country...
0:31:54 > 0:31:56..a high percentage of them have a connection with Iten -
0:31:56 > 0:32:02either they're from the area or they have settled and trained in the area.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13The pathways around here could be described as runs of fame,
0:32:13 > 0:32:17because many of the recently-successful athletes,
0:32:17 > 0:32:18all over the world,
0:32:18 > 0:32:22involved in road running and in track, live in this area.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24Down this road here, about a kilometre or so,
0:32:24 > 0:32:27we have Mary Keitany, who recently won the London Marathon.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31A little bit up the road, on the other side, is Lornah Kiplagat,
0:32:31 > 0:32:33one of the great road runners.
0:32:33 > 0:32:38We also have people in this area, like Emmanuel Mutai,
0:32:38 > 0:32:41who recently won the London Marathon.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Closer to Iten, we have Linet Masai
0:32:43 > 0:32:49who won the world title, the 10,000 metres in Berlin.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51In this direction, we have Ibrahim Hussein,
0:32:51 > 0:32:55who won the Boston Marathon three times -
0:32:55 > 0:32:57first African to win the New York Marathon.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02And, of course, we have various training camps in the area, as well, which houses
0:33:02 > 0:33:05quite a significant number of world beaters.
0:33:07 > 0:33:12So, that's just a sample of the people who just live within a very...
0:33:13 > 0:33:14..small area.
0:33:16 > 0:33:21What is becoming more obvious about these athletes is their connection with the soil.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24Even here, at the supposed Centre of Excellence,
0:33:24 > 0:33:27the Cameron Stadium, the track surface is essentially
0:33:27 > 0:33:32no different to the back roads and dirt trails around their homes.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Most runners from around the world, if they came here, they'd say,
0:33:35 > 0:33:37"Oh, my God!"
0:33:37 > 0:33:41The facilities around here are quite appalling.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46Though it's dirt - hard, compact dirt -
0:33:46 > 0:33:50it's this quality of track which has produced more world champions,
0:33:50 > 0:33:54more Olympic champions, than any other track in the world.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13After having coached Wilson Kipketer a young person,
0:34:13 > 0:34:16and, of course he went on to achievements,
0:34:16 > 0:34:21and then following that, the man to break his record, Rudisha,
0:34:21 > 0:34:26I'm probably being looked upon a bit now as some kind of guru in 800 metre coaching,
0:34:26 > 0:34:30which I would consider myself very far from.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34'My father kept greyhounds, so I knew about training.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38'I knew about regimental work, how to handle success and failure.'
0:34:38 > 0:34:40Who's doing the timing here?
0:34:40 > 0:34:43'I knew all the ups and downs of sport.'
0:34:43 > 0:34:45Time? 400?
0:34:46 > 0:34:5067? 67-68, don't go below 67.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53'Kids who come to the school before ever you coach them
0:34:53 > 0:34:54'have already put in place'
0:34:54 > 0:34:59certain fundamentals regarding running,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02for example, they run to school, they run to market,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06they run for water, they run for firewood, they play a lot outdoor
0:35:06 > 0:35:09because the climate is conducive to outdoor activity.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11'So all I'm doing is, as a coach,
0:35:11 > 0:35:15'is taking what's already in the athlete and developing it
0:35:15 > 0:35:22'from within, rather than I come in with any fixed formula or format
0:35:22 > 0:35:26'and saying, "Now, this is what you have to do to become an athlete."
0:35:26 > 0:35:30'Not necessary. You have to be careful to always keep in mind
0:35:30 > 0:35:33'what the athlete is bringing to you first.'
0:35:33 > 0:35:34Keep an even pace.
0:35:45 > 0:35:46I have come to Nairobi
0:35:46 > 0:35:48to meet an old friend
0:35:48 > 0:35:51and great competitor, Mike Boit,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54who is now Professor of physiology in Kenyatta University.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59What results have emerged from these studies?
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Eamonn, I think first of all,
0:36:01 > 0:36:03we have to look at our biological heritage
0:36:03 > 0:36:05as hunters and gatherers.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09And I think we're all the same.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14I don't think there is anything that is specifically typical for Kenyans.
0:36:14 > 0:36:19I think also from the genetic studies that we have seen,
0:36:19 > 0:36:23some of the Kenyans are more related to the Europeans
0:36:23 > 0:36:26than some of the Europeans being related to each other,
0:36:26 > 0:36:30so you can see the genetic aspect has been ruled out.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34We can look at it from the same point of view that
0:36:34 > 0:36:37why are the Brazilians so good in soccer?
0:36:37 > 0:36:39It is the tradition of excellence.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Why are the Canadians so good in ice hockey?
0:36:42 > 0:36:44It is the tradition of excellence.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Why are the Irish so competitive?
0:36:47 > 0:36:49It is also the tradition of excellence.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52And I think the mental aspect is also very important.
0:36:52 > 0:36:57The public expectation for Kenya's is so high that as a Kenyan,
0:36:57 > 0:37:00when you don't win a gold medal, then you haven't done much.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03And you cannot be good enough just to make it to the finals.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06If you make it to the final as a Kenyan,
0:37:06 > 0:37:10the public expectation is that you have done really nothing.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12You are in the final, but you didn't do much.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15So nobody would pay attention.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19So there is a lot of research also that has been done on high expectations.
0:37:19 > 0:37:24When you have high expectations, the performance tends to increase.
0:37:24 > 0:37:29All three of you, Michael, the great 800 metre champions, have gone to St Patrick's.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32What is it in Brother Colm that makes him a great mentor?
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Well, I think what Brother Colm is doing is a culmination
0:37:35 > 0:37:41of what the Patrician brothers have done since the beginning,
0:37:41 > 0:37:43since 50 years ago,
0:37:43 > 0:37:51St Patrick's, when it was established. It is consistency.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54It is also taking time and not pushing too hard,
0:37:54 > 0:37:57and building their confidence.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59That will bring the results.
0:38:08 > 0:38:14Even Rudisha now, the last couple of days, he's been a bit chesty.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17- He comes from a warmer part of Kenya, from Maasailand...- Yeah.
0:38:17 > 0:38:21..so he does find the...
0:38:21 > 0:38:23the conditions up here...
0:38:23 > 0:38:27the conditions up here a little bit...tough.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46'Having been in the country for so long,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48'I understand the temperament of a Kenyan,
0:38:48 > 0:38:52'how it takes some time to warm up. That's not a problem for me.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57'During that time of warming up, and all that,
0:38:57 > 0:39:00'an athlete is not only doing physical warm-up,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03'but also just preparing himself mentally for what he's going to do,
0:39:03 > 0:39:07'so you have to give them a minute, some people take longer than others.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11'You just have to make sure to give them enough time and space to...
0:39:11 > 0:39:13'to do what it takes THEM to do.
0:39:21 > 0:39:28'Because I basically learned my early coaching from the athletes,'
0:39:28 > 0:39:31I didn't have any experience, I hadn't coached before,
0:39:31 > 0:39:33I hadn't done any courses in coaching,
0:39:33 > 0:39:37I hadn't any... I had some books, a few books here and there to read,
0:39:37 > 0:39:42but I always learned, because of that, to listen to the athlete
0:39:42 > 0:39:48and to learn to very often trial and error from the athlete what works and what doesn't work.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50Now, to me, to this day,
0:39:50 > 0:39:52that's a very important lesson that I learnt as a coach.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54And even to this day,
0:39:54 > 0:39:57'I still practice and take that approach to my coaching.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59'I am still very observant of athletes.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02'I still know a lot by watching them.'
0:40:06 > 0:40:11Good. Nice and relaxed, but pushing a little bit.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14You should be moving in that direction now.
0:40:14 > 0:40:20To run well under 1:30. In the sixes and the 400s, 55.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25Colm is a very serene type of individual.
0:40:25 > 0:40:30Nice and relaxed, nice and mellow. He's not in-your-face by any means.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33There's a lot of coaches around the world who get uptight,
0:40:33 > 0:40:35put their athletes under pressure, screaming at them,
0:40:35 > 0:40:37shouting at them to hit the times.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39There's none of that in Colm.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42You can see by the bond, the connection that he has
0:40:42 > 0:40:47with the athletes that they believe 100% in every single word he says.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51And, more importantly, they also believe in every single word
0:40:51 > 0:40:55he doesn't say, because he doesn't have to communicate verbally.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58He just communicates by his very, very presence.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02Depending on how you feel, or how things are going at the end
0:41:02 > 0:41:05of the four, you do, maybe, two threes or two twos.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Just for speed.
0:41:10 > 0:41:11Time yourself.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24- Rudisha, a little bit sluggish.- Yes.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27He says he has his chest and his muscles.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30But I'll tell you, he is running really controlled.
0:42:30 > 0:42:35And I can see he's running for form. His rhythm is beautiful.
0:42:35 > 0:42:40- I'm still also hoping that he'll race himself into fitness.- Yes.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43Well, put it like this, Colm.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47A guy who can run 1:41 like he can, should be doing those,
0:42:47 > 0:42:49what, 1:29, 1:28 for the two 600s
0:42:49 > 0:42:52with about two and a half minute rest?
0:42:52 > 0:42:56- Yeah.- Like...that's...
0:42:56 > 0:42:58that's just jogging for a guy like that, you know?
0:42:58 > 0:43:00- Yet, he's breathing heavy.- Yeah.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05He's not in the shape he was this time last year, unfortunately.
0:43:05 > 0:43:10- Just a little bit flat. I like to see him up on his toes.- Running light.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14- You're always comparing him to the last August.- You want him running light on the feet,
0:43:14 > 0:43:16but to be quite honest with you, me looking at him,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18he's beautifully controlled there now.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23How is it? Feeling OK?
0:43:24 > 0:43:26Second one a bit tough?
0:43:28 > 0:43:30How is the...
0:43:30 > 0:43:32OK, no problem here.
0:43:32 > 0:43:33Are you OK?
0:43:36 > 0:43:38That's David's mother.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40- You a long way from Kilgoris. - Yeah!- Yeah.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45- She came to check if her son's OK? - He came home to see us.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47- He came home to see mamma?- Yeah.
0:43:47 > 0:43:48Very nice.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53I bet you he'll pick it up now that his mam's here.
0:43:58 > 0:43:59I see Tanguil fading now.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04- He's picking it up nicely now.- Yeah. They're running now.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07You know it's hidden somewhere in there.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10- 38.- Exactly.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12With Rudisha, you see...
0:44:12 > 0:44:16how he ran his fantastic times last year
0:44:16 > 0:44:20just by, you know, seeing his controlled running.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24And...and...and his...
0:44:24 > 0:44:29ability in a couple of the intervals to just go back
0:44:29 > 0:44:32and click into that mode and pick it up,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35but I'm just a little bit worried about his overall conditioning.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38And concerned that we have to go back a little bit
0:44:38 > 0:44:41to the drawing board.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43A bit tough on the chest?
0:44:43 > 0:44:47But you also had a slight chest problem anyway, so maybe it's...
0:44:47 > 0:44:52That could be part of your problem. But the injury OK? No problem?
0:44:52 > 0:44:54We only have really next...
0:44:54 > 0:44:59maybe one track session, whenever it is, Tuesday, Wednesday,
0:44:59 > 0:45:01track session Saturday,
0:45:01 > 0:45:04and then another track sessions maybe the following Tuesday,
0:45:04 > 0:45:09and I still need a little bit of endurance building, you know.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13So, even tomorrow, if you get a chance even in the morning, long run. Monday, long run.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17Maybe he's... Maybe my expectations are too high.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21You know? You're seeing somebody who's...
0:45:21 > 0:45:25I'm thinking of last August when he was just smashing world records.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28You know, maybe that's where my mind is.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30You know, and I see him now, kind of, as I said,
0:45:30 > 0:45:32just struggling a little bit on the track. Maybe I say, "Oh, God."
0:45:32 > 0:45:35We'll see you Monday morning at ten.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38'You're going to be judged at the end of the year
0:45:38 > 0:45:40'by how you performed in the World Championships.'
0:45:42 > 0:45:46On my visit to Kenya, I have learned that the simple approach
0:45:46 > 0:45:48to training is central to their success.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52Brother Colm has been able to tap into a sense of inner calm
0:45:52 > 0:45:56and courage at the heart of the Kenyan athlete.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59There is no ONE reason that makes them the greatest in the world.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02But it's a perfect storm of conditions
0:46:02 > 0:46:05that come together from hard work,
0:46:05 > 0:46:07poverty, diet, altitude,
0:46:07 > 0:46:12and self belief that make Kenyans supreme at their sport.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15But it's Brother Colm's approach to training
0:46:15 > 0:46:18that I come away thinking of how hard it is
0:46:18 > 0:46:21sometimes to achieve simplicity.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26'There is the world-record holder, David Rudisha,
0:46:26 > 0:46:29'world athlete of the year last year.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32'He was unbeaten right the way through 2010.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35'Twice broke the world record.'
0:46:35 > 0:46:39'The man is 6'4", he's done 45.5 for the 400...'
0:46:39 > 0:46:41STARTING GUN
0:46:41 > 0:46:44We had kind of talked the race through in our heads
0:46:44 > 0:46:47together before he even left. This is how you're going to run the race.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50This is how you win the championship. This is not about time.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52This is about medals.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55'The big man in lane six is going to do it from the front...'
0:46:55 > 0:46:58Less than 200 metres into the race and Rudisha's taken the lead.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01'...running from the front.'
0:47:01 > 0:47:03'You strongly suspect that's going to be the case.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06'Kaki is tracking him...'
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Rudisha has kind of devised a winning formula.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11As soon as they break in the back straight,
0:47:11 > 0:47:13he goes right into lane one.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16And, almost submissively,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19the other athletes just file in behind him.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22You know? As if saying, "We know that's what you do.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25"And the hope is that we just hang in there with you
0:47:25 > 0:47:29"and maybe you'll falter in the last 100-150 metres."
0:47:32 > 0:47:34'The Russian might have the speed in his legs.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37'Can Rudisha kick again from the front?
0:47:37 > 0:47:41'Kaki is desperately trying to stay strong in third.
0:47:41 > 0:47:42'But here comes Rudisha
0:47:42 > 0:47:46'kicking off the bend and Borzakovskiy cannot go with him!
0:47:46 > 0:47:49'It's going to be gold for Kenya
0:47:49 > 0:47:50'and a gold for David Rudisha!'
0:47:50 > 0:47:54'Borzakovskiy weakening but Rudisha drops at the line in 1:43.9...'
0:47:54 > 0:47:58- Yes!- '..and he has that major championship...'
0:47:58 > 0:48:02It's as if a weight was lifted off our shoulders. You know,
0:48:02 > 0:48:05all these expectations and all the pressure that was there.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09He has justified his faith in me. And my faith in him.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13Now he's world champion and world record holder.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16And, really, there are only three things at the global level
0:48:16 > 0:48:17you can achieve in athletics.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20He has two of them. There's one missing.
0:48:20 > 0:48:25Winning the Olympics he knows will give him immortality.
0:48:54 > 0:48:59Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd