Michael (Mike) Kipsugut Boit (born 6 January 1949) is a Kenyan former professional middle-distance athlete whose career spanned fifteen years. He is a professor at Kenyatta University in the Department of Exercise and Sports Science. He is an uncle to

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 ...

, who became the first Kenyan athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics.

Education

Boit graduated from St. Patrick's High School in

Iten Iten is a town in Elgeyo-Marakwet County in the Republic of Kenya. Iten serves as the capital and is the largest town in the county. The town is located along the road between Eldoret and Kabarnet at the junction of the road heading to Kapsowar. ...

in 1969, a school well known for having produced such world class distance runners as

Matthew Birir Matthew Kiprotich Birir (born 5 July 1972) is a former athlete from Kenya, winner of 3000 m steeplechase at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Biography Born in Eldama Ravine, Matthew Birir started running, when he attended at the famous St. Patrick's ...

, David Rudisha, Wilson Kipketer, Japheth Kimutai and many others. Boit received a Diploma from Kenyatta College (now Kenyatta University) in 1972, a bachelor's degree from Eastern New Mexico University in 1976, two master's degrees from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 1977 and 1978, and a Doctoral of Education Degree from the University of Oregon in 1986. In 2014, Boit received an honorary Doctorate of Science (DSc) from the University of Glasgow in recognition of his contributions to the academic research of sports and its development in Kenya.

Teaching and Administration

Boit joined the Kenyatta University as a full-time faculty member in 1987. From 1990 to 1997, Boit took leave of his position at the University to work as the

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

; Boit returned to Kenyatta University in 1998. During the 1990s, Boit also stayed active in the athletic community as member of the

IAAF Athletes Commission World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

from 1989 to 1999 and the Special Olympics from 1992–1995. In 2004, Boit and his friend John Manners, whom he met while in high school when Manners was in the Peace Corps, founde
KENSAP
The

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

. The Project helps bright students from under-served regions of Kenya gain admission to elite colleges in the United States. Boit and Manners have currently successfully placed more than 100 students in top American universities, including Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Duke, Wesleyan, Brown, Cornell, Amherst, Yale, Barnard, Carleton, Oberlin, Dartmouth, UPenn, Wellesley, Bates, Colby, Tufts, Middlebury, Brandeis, Williams, and Hamilton.

Athletics career

Representing St. Patrick's – Iten, Boit won the Kenya national high school title in the 800 metres in 1969. He later went on to win the 800 metres bronze medal at the

1972 Munich Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

, in a race better known for the last-to-first comeback kick by US Olympian Dave Wottle. Boit also earned a fourth-place finish in the 1500 metres behind fellow legendary Kenyan runner

Kipchoge Keino Kipchoge Hezekiah Keino (born 17 January 1940) is a retired Kenyan track and field athlete. He was the chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee (KOC) until 29 September 2017. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Keino was among the first in a lon ...

. A Kenya boycott of the

1976 Montreal Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

and

1980 Moscow Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

denied Boit a second chance for Olympic glory. Boit however remained one of the world’s top middle distance runners throughout the 1970s winning the 800 metres silver medal at the

1974 Commonwealth Games The 1974 British Commonwealth Games ( mi, 1974 Taumāhekeheke Commonwealth) were held in Christchurch, New Zealand from 24 January to 2 February 1974. The bid vote was held in Edinburgh at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. The Games were off ...

and a silver medal at the 1977 World Cup of Athletics in a much anticipated face-off against the 1976 Olympic gold medalist Alberto Juantorena of Cuba. He finished 2nd at the

1977 IAAF World Cup The 1st IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held from 2 to 4 September 1977, at the Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, West Germany. Overal ...

800 metres race. Boit won the gold at the

1978 Commonwealth Games The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta from 3 to 12 August 1978, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal, Quebec. They were boycotted by Nigeria, in protest at New Zealand's sporting contacts with apar ...

and a bronze in the 1500 metres at the

1982 Commonwealth Games The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium (named after Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the a ...

. He won the 1500 metres at the 1st African Championships in 1979. In Sebastian Coe's record breaking Summer of 81 Boit could often be seen lurking at Coe's shoulder in 1500 metre and mile races, pushing him all the way to the line as the records tumbled. In 1983 Boit ran a downhill mile in 3:28.36, the then fastest mile in history.Molenberg Mile: The current record holder is Craig Wheeler 3.2
The Queen Street Golden Mile: The History
This did not count as the world record because of the course's downhill grade. Boit ended his athletic career in 1990 breaking the Masters Division Indoor World Record for the mile in Meadowlands, New Jersey.

References

External links

* * *
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boit, Mike 1949 births Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Kenyan male middle-distance runners Olympic athletes of Kenya Olympic bronze medalists for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Kenya Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Kenya Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Kenya Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) People from Uasin Gishu County