Matthew Birir started running when he attended the famous St. Patrick’s High School in Iten, where many great Kenyan runners went to school. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the main favorite in the steeplechase was Patrick Sang. Early in the Olympic final, it was clear that Kenya would sweep the medals. On the final lap, the 20-year-old Birir outsprinted his older countryman Sang to win gold, 0.69 seconds ahead of latter. At the 1993 World Championships Birir was beaten to fourth by Italian Alessandro Lambruschini, who repeated this feat three years later at the 1996 Summer Olympics, with Birir again placing fourth. Birir was ranked in the world top 10 five times between 1992-97, with a top ranking of #2 in 1992.
Personal Best: 3000S – 8:08.12 (1995).
Kenya