Henry Rono: When Kenyan Track Icon Broke Four World Records in 81 Days

• Former world record holder Henry Rono has passed away at 72
• The Kenyan obliterated four world records in 81 days in 1978
• Rono's death comes after Kelvin Kiptum died in a road accident

It has been a difficult week for Kenyan athletics.

Henry Rono, a track icon, passed away on Thursday, February 15 at 72. Rono shattered four world records in 1978 to etch his name in the history books.

In 81 glorious days, Rono broke the 3,000m, 3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m and 10,000m in 1978. A few of those records stood for years, per World Athletics.

The first world record came on April 8, 1978. Running at the University of California, Rono clocked 13:08.4 in the 5,000m, shaving four and a half seconds off the record held by D. Quax.

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That was just the beginning of a historic run. On May 13, he took down the 3,000m steeplechase world record. He took 2.6 seconds off Anders Garderud's two-year-old record to finish in 8:05.4 in Seattle, per World Athletics.

The next record to fall was the 10,000m. He improved the record by eight seconds, clocking 27:22.47 in Vienna, breaking the record held by Samson Kimobwa.

On June 27, in Oslo, Norway, Rono smashed Brendan Foster’s four-year-old 3,000m record, clocking 7:32.1. In 1978, he won a staggering 31 outdoor races.

Unfortunately, Rono never won an Olympic medal in his career. He won three gold medals at the All-African Games and the Commonwealth Games, all in 1978.

Rono remains one of Kenya's greatest-ever athletes. His world record feats inspired generations and will continue to do so even after his death.

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Eliud Kipchoge mourns Kiptum

Rono is the second Kenyan athlete to die this week after Kelvin Kiptum, who died in a road accident on Sunday, February 11.

Kenyan marathon icon, Eliud Kipchoge, mourned the loss of Kiptum, the men's marathon world record holder. The double Olympic marathon honoured Kiptum via his Instagram, as Sports Brief reported earlier.

"I am deeply saddened by the tragic passing of the Marathon World record holder and rising star Kelvin Kiptum. An athlete who had a whole life ahead of him to achieve incredible greatness. I offer my deepest condolences to his young family. May God comfort you during this trying time," he said in a statement.

Kiptum and Kipchoge were expected to face off at the Paris 2024 Olympics later this year. Kiptum made his marathon debut in Valencia in 2022, recording a superb time of 2:01:53.

The 24-year-old clocked 2:01:25 to win the 2023 London Marathon before shattering the world record. He shaved 34 seconds off Kipchoge's world record to finish in 2:00:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.