U.K: KENYAN TRACK STAR KIPCHOGE KEINO SETS NEW COMMONWEALTH GAMES RECORD FOR 1,500 METRES.

Record ID: 1080979

  • Title: U.K: KENYAN TRACK STAR KIPCHOGE KEINO SETS NEW COMMONWEALTH GAMES RECORD FOR 1,500 METRES.
  • Date: 22nd July 1970
  • Summary: 1. SV 1,500 metres race in progress - runners coming round with Keino in lead, two laps to go 0.32 2. SV Pull Back same two runners in lead approach straight 0.58 3. SV ZOOM IN CV Keino crosses finishing line 1.07 4. SV ZOOM OUT Keino waves, crowd applauds 1.20 5. GV Crowd applaud 1.25 6. SV Queen presents medal to Keino 1.34 7. SV Crowd applauds 1.36 8. CU Mr Gethi 2.00 TRANSCRIPT: SEQ 8: QUESTION: "Mr Gethi, we know there have been letters. Could you tell us how many there were? One, or two or more to Keino?" GETHI: "There has been more than one". QUESTION: "Do you think it affected Keino's performance this afternoon GETHI: "No. I don't think so." QUESTION: "Has he been worried about this at all, himself?" GETHI: "No. He's not worried." QUESTION: "Have any other members of your team received letters or telephone calls of a similar nature?" GETHI: "No". Initials GHB/AS/CO GHB/AS/SGM SPORT: ATHLETICS EDITORS: FOR SCHEDULED NEWS BULLETINS ONLY - NOT MORE THAN TWO MINUTES OF COMMONWEALTH GAMES MATERIAL MAY BE USED IN ANY ONE BULLETIN. Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 5th August 1970 13:00
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  • Location: Edinburgh. U.K.
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA6O9F7NS6RI3355AXYPBDPM0AZ
  • Story Text:Kenya's great runner, Kipchoge Keino, scorched to victory in the Commonwealth Games 1,500 metres event today (Wednesday) despite the fact that he's received letters threatening his life.

    Winning his country's first Gold Medal at Edinburgh, keino set a new games record time of three minutes, 36.6 seconds
    Keino, the reigning 1,500 metres Olympic champion and winner of the mile and three mile Gold Medals in Jamaica four years ago, totally dominated the race. He received the Gold Medal from Britain's Queen Elizabeth.

    The only serious challenger was New Zealand's Dick Quax who had beaten the Kenyan over a mile in Auckland a year ago. But Keino took early charge and set such a scorching pace that all but Quax in the 12-man field were left struggling well behind.

    The New Zealander stayed at Keino's elbow until the final bend when the 30-year old police inspector accelerated away for a tremendous finish which Quax couldn't match.

    After the race, Keino said in an interview that he thought this would be his last Commonwealth Games. He expected to concentrate on the 5,000 and 10,000 metres in future, but didn't say whether he'd be competing in the 1972 Munich Olympics. He said at that time that he knew nothing about the threats against his life.

    But at a press conference later, the Kenyan team manager Benjamin Gethi, admitted that the threats had been received.
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