I woke up to tweets and Facebook messages that Ugandan runner Stephen Kiprotich had won gold!
Even though it had taken place hours earlier and my fellow Ugandan friends around the world had watched and celebrated the win, I had to anxiously wait for several hours before I could watch the broadcast on NBC. When I did, it was inspirational!
No one expected Stephen (the “other” Kiprotich) to win the Olympic men’s marathon, so throughout the race the commentators downplayed his efforts. 3 miles away from the finish, Kiprotich unexpectedly sprinted away from the favored Kenyan runners and crossed the finish line holding the Ugandan flag. We were all so proud of him!
During his post race interview, he said,
“They didn’t expect me to win. I was keeping behind them, keeping the fire burning,” he said. “When they (went), they thought they’d left me, but I was there. When my time came, I said, ‘Now, I go.” What an awesome reminder to always keep the fire burning!
Since NBC didn’t broadcast the medal ceremony at the closing, my brother-in-law did a mini backyard celebration, #teamUG style.
