Koros’ lucky gamble paying off on the track

“It is the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief and once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen,” those are the wise words of boxing legend, the late Muhammad Ali.

Collins Koros is a firm believer in Ali’s words. A newbie causing waves in the Kenyan athletics scene, his name will not be found in the youth system but getting into the craft late has not stopped him from working his way to the heart of middle-distance running in the country. 

Koros, a Kenya Defence Forces(KDF) athlete knew little about the Kenyan athletics scene until he joined the military and landed at the Department of Defence (DOD) headquarters in Hurlingham in 2014. After a year at the DOD office, he was attached to the sports department in November 2015 and his stars began aligning. 

“I created interest in running almost immediately as some of my colleagues in the office were professionals. Three months into the office, I ran my first cross-country at the KDF 2016 meet. I met coach Naomi Mugo at the sports office and she has done a lot to shape me into the athlete I am becoming. I know I have a lot to work on and I started late but that is not stopping me,” said Koros in an interview.

By 2017, the 29-year old had begun track racing and took part in 1500m, finishing third at the KDF championship in 3:38.2 a feat that opened opportunities up to attend local races in Europe.

“Just getting on those planes and competing outside the country was motivation enough to keep going. A local boy, from a humble background who had never imagined such, was now competing with the best in the forces. To help work on my endurance, I entered every cross-country event I got a chance to and I moved from finishing second last in the 2018 KDF cross country to being on the podium in the 2021 edition,” offered the lanky athlete.

In June 2018, Koros finished second in 1500m at the military annual meet, granting him a chance to feature at the Commonwealth Games national trials, In 2019 he finished 11th at the KDF cross country and moved to fourth in 2020, making the national team where he finished 12th. 

“About two years ago I began training alongside Kibiwott Kandie and he has helped me get better in my races both at the track and cross-country,” revealed the firstborn in a family of five. 

At last week’s KDF annual championship, Koros reigned supreme, winning both the 5,000m and 10,000m race to book a slot to this weekend’s national Olympics Pre-trials. His 10,000m race was his first, in track, on home soil, as he has previously concentrated on 5000m and 1500m. 

“I had made my debut in 10,000m two weeks before the KDF championship at a race in Sweden. I clocked 27:29.35 which is a second shy of the Olympics qualifying time. When the chance presented itself at the KDF event to double, I decided to go for it and I am happy with the times. The 5000m was more competitive than the 10,000m in the KDF team. I will consult with my coach and decide on which race to target for the Olympics,” said the athlete who also competed in the Continental Tour in October 2020 in 5000m.