Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

competed in the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

, Japan. The country's participation at the Games marked its

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

debut, although it had competed in the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

since 1956. The delegation consisted of a single cross-country skier,

Philip Boit Philip Kimely Boit (born 12 December 1971 in Eldoret, Kenya) is a cross-country skier and the first Kenyan to participate in the Winter Olympics. His first name is sometimes spelled as "Phillip". 1996–98 Philip Boit and compatriot Henry Bit ...

. He had been trained as part of a scheme created by American sportswear company

Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...

Although Boit did not win a medal, his efforts received worldwide attention after gold medallist Bjorn Daehlie of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

waited for him at the finish line as Boit completed the race in difficult conditions in last place.

Background

Kenya first competed in the

at the 1956 Games in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia. They participated at the Summer Olympics on nine occasions prior to the

, where they made their

debut in

, Japan. They sent a single cross-country skier,

. Both Boit and Henry Bitok were runners who had been scouted by American sportswear company

, who wished to train a runners as cross-country skiers. After being recruited, Boit, who had never previously seen

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

, initially trained in Kenya on

roller skis Roller skiing is an off-snow equivalent to cross-country skiing. Roller skis have wheels on their ends and are used on a hard surface, to emulate .Bryhn, Rolf and Knut Are Tvedt (eds.): ''Kunnskapsforlagets idrettsleksikon''. (Norwegian Encyclop ...

. They then travelled to Finland to practice on snow. Boit later explained, "It was a bit challenging at first because I had never experienced cold weather like that in my life, even putting on skis was so difficult! But after some time, I learned to adapt." The response to Nike's project was mixed, with some comparing the story to the story of the Jamaican

bobsleigh Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Feder ...

team at the 1988 Winter Games, while others such as Bob Wojnowski of ''

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on Februar ...

'' said "These are marketing pawns financed by well-heeled publicity seekers." The sponsorship of Boit and Bitok consisted of $200,000, to cover their training, accommodation and equipment while in Finland. The logic had been that since Nike sent Finnish runners were sent to Kenya to train, then the same could be done in reverse. Following their training, both athletes tried to qualify for the Winter Olympics, but failed to do so. Instead, Kenya opted to use a single automatic qualification spot to send Boit to the Games in 1998. Shortly prior to the Games, Boit missed two weeks of training when he was hospitalised with a stomach problem.

Cross-country skiing

The sole Kenyan athlete at the Games, Philip Boit, competed in the men's 10 kilometre classical

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

. The competition took place on 12 February, at the

Snow Harp Snow Harp is a cross-country skiing venue located in Hakuba, Nagano, Japan. For the 1998 Winter Olympics, the venue hosted the cross-country skiing and the cross-country skiing portion of the Nordic combined Nordic combined is a winter spo ...

venue in

Hakuba, Nagano is a village located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 9,007 in 4267 households, and a population density of 48 persons per km2. The total area of the village is . Hakuba is an internationally renowned s ...

. The beginning of the race was chaotic, with the skiers beset by heavy rain. Boit was not prepared to race on wet snow, and later attributed it as the reason for falling down on several occasions. He found that it added further complications, adding "Going uphill, the skis were collecting snow. It was like I had put on high heeled-shoes!" The favourite for the race, Bjorn Daehlie of

won the gold medal, but instead of going to the podium to collect it, he was informed that Boit was still racing – the only competitor left on the course, down in 92nd place. Daehlie waited for Boit to finish, welcoming him as he passed the finish line. Boit was amazed by the crowd's reaction as he arrived, "They were shouting 'Kenya GO!, Philip GO!' It was like I was winning a medal even though I was last." As he crossed the line some 20 minutes after Daehlie, the Norwegian hugged the Kenyan – while Boit later said that he immediately thanked Daehlie, the gold medallist insisted that Boit instead remarked that he would beat him at the next Olympics. The incident received worldwide attention. Boit's time was 47 minutes and 25.25 seconds. After the race, he explained to the international media, "My goal, my aim, is to become a world or Olympic champion. I'm dreaming about becoming the first African to do it. I will do it." Daehlie meanwhile said of Boit, "He deserves to be encouraged. It was hard for him but he never gave up." Boit became a celebrity in Kenya following his return, and would continue as a professional skier until 2011, taking part in two further Winter Olympics, and continuing to be friends with Daehlie. Shortly after the 1998 Games, Boit's first child was born, the Kenyan naming him Daehlie Boit. ;Skiing events

References

{{Nations at the 1998 Winter Olympics Nations at the 1998 Winter Olympics