Two-time world marathon champion Abel Kirui has revealed he is two years away from hanging his spikes, but not entirely.
The National Police Service officer has outlined his plan for the next two years as he seeks to retire after the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will coincide with his 20th anniversary in distance running.
Kirui, who won the marathon titles at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin and at Daegu two years later, is the proprietor of Grace Joy Educational Centre where, in addition to education, he hopes to churn future athletics prospects.
The 2016 Chicago Marathon champion said: "Having been in the game for 18 years, I feel I should hang my spikes in the next two years and embark on giving back to society."
"It is important for me to help upcoming athletes. I struggled to start my running at Samitui Primary School and, having succeeded in the sport over the years, I feel we must teach children to be patient and love the sport at an early age," he said.
Kirui, the 2008 Vienna Marathon winner, said most young people are always excited when they see him going for morning runs and he wants to capitalise on this to pull as many as possible into the sport.
He said he is already mentoring some pupils at Grace Joy.
"We always sit together. We watch my previous races on Youtube and they are motivated to train harder. I am part of the team. I am always practical to convince them that I am a human being, not an alien from another planet," he explained.
The 2012 Olympic Games marathon silver medalist revealed how he got into Grace Joy.
"I had an idea of establishing a school way back in 2008 when I was in New York. I used to tell my friends that I needed a school and years later, I found this school on sale and I realised my dream," he noted.
"My aim is to create champions at Great Joy Academy, which I refer to as Old Trafford since I am a Manchester United fan."
He said he will use both his resources and influence in the sporting circles to develop the facility into a world-class sporting institution. Kirui said despite being a successful runner, his focus is not just on his sport of choice.
"I have a guy from Nyanza who wants to train these kids in football, a friend from India is keen on making this place a cricket centre while an American friend wants to train them in baseball," said Kirui, who chalked up second place finishes at the 2007 Berlin and 2017 Chicago marathons.
Works have already started at Grace Joy, geared towards the establishment of a running track.
"We will first put murram but in the future, we shall have a tartan track," he said.
The school has six pupils preparing for the Uasin Gishu County Primary Schools track and field championships set for this Friday in Eldoret.
Naomi Jemutai (3,000m), Sarah Patience (100m), Ian Sum (3,000m), Charlotte Talam (5,000m), Mathew Kibet (1,500m) and Eugene Kiplagat will represent the school in the event.
Pius Waliala, a teacher at Grace Joy, observed that the current Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) is all about talent development and that's why they are emphasising on sports.
"Since the founder is a champion, his dream is to empower talented kids. Here, we help the learners explore their talents. We search for talents during game time and expose them through inter-class competitions," said Waliala.
Another teacher/coach, Stella Koech, added: "We have learners who are good in academics, others are good in sports and others are good in both. We always try to make sure that we strike a balance."
