Suter Chemweno, one of the country’s founding fathers of track running, has been hospitalised in Eldoret.

Chemweno, who is aged 87, has been ill in recent weeks, his family told Standard Sport on Thursday.

The legendary track athlete represented the country at the Cardiff Commonwealth Games in 1958 and is credited for clearing the path for Kenya’s dominance in athletics.

He was admitted to a private hospital in Eldoret on April 24.

According to his family members, Chemweno, who retired as an agricultural extension officer after his athletics career, has been battling chest pains in recent days.

The legend’s son Jonathan Chemweno said the retired athletics icon was recovering well.

Jonathan said an aging Chemweno was taken into the high dependency unit (HDU) but indicated that the family was impressed with his recovery.

“About three weeks ago, he (Chemweno) complained of chest pains and difficulty in breathing, and we rushed him to St Luke’s Orthopaedic and Trauma Hospital. He has been under HDU and there is great improvement.
He can now feed himself without any assistance,” Jonathan, 46, said.

According to Jonathan, the legendary athlete has been battling illnesses and has been in and out of health facilities for the last ten years.

He disclosed that he has been suffering joint pains, particularly in his legs, conditions that, Jonathan said, were treated at local health centres in Kapkoi, Elgeyo Marakwet and Uasin Gishu.

“Medics had diagnosed him with high blood pressure, and the condition was managed at Kapkoi Health Centre, where he had been taken for treatment,” said Jonathan.

He went on to say: “His local church, Kapkoi Catholic Church, has been praying for him because he is an elder there. They have really supported him morally and through their prayers.”

Another son, Francis Cheruiyot, said doctors had told the family that the joint pains were as a result of running during his prime.

“When we took him to hospital when he complained of joint pains, medics immediately asked whether he was an athlete, and they told us that such kinds of pains were effects of friction from years of running. The doctors promised to cure the joint pains,” Cheruiyot said.

He said his father has been battling his illnesses with the resilience of a true athlete.

“He has the distinctive athletic spirit in him. We are thankful that he is recovering well, and we are helping him to walk because he has been bedridden for days,” said Cheruiyot.

He added: “Seven years ago, I bought a pair of nice shoes for him, and he said he only wanted open shoes; that is when we knew that the joint pains were troubling him.”

But even as the family was joyous about his recovery, there was one fear – a soaring hospital bill.

By yesterday, Chemweno’s hospital bill was over Sh500,000 and was still on the rise since doctors were still monitoring him at the hospital.

Kenyan legends through Veteran Athletes Association wrote to Athletics Kenya (AK) on Tuesday, seeking the federation’s support in mobilising funds to clear the rising bill.

Chemweno and legends such as the late Nyantika Maiyoro (the first Kenyan to compete abroad at the 1954 Commonwealth Games), relay greats including the late Bartojo Rotich, Wanyoike Kamau, Musembi Mbathi alongside Silas Kibet Boit and Kiptalam Keter in 800 yards, were already global stars way before the late Kiprugut Chumo won the first Olympic medal – an 800m bronze for Kenya at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.