Daniel Simiu's inspiring story from tough upbrining in bandit prone region

ATHLETICS Daniel Simiu's inspiring story from tough upbrining in bandit prone region

Abigael Wafula 19:34 - 10.07.2023

Simiu's upbringing was also not a walk in the park as he lost his father at a very young age to cattle rustlers.

Many just know Daniel Simiu Ebenyo from his track exploits and might not know what it took him to get to the level he is at the moment, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist, multiple road race, and national champion.

According to a World Athletics report, Simiu arrived in Iten and started off as a pacemaker to assist in the training of several elite women. But after he fainted during a training session, one of the coaches realised that he was facing some personal and financial hardships.

He started training under Erik Kogo, a relatively new but dedicated coach, who works alongside Simiu’s manager Lee-Roy Newton. After some months of training, he started to race in national events and was successful in most of them back in 2019.

Simiu's upbringing was also not a walk in the park as he lost his father at a very young age to cattle rustlers. He grew up in a tough neighbourhood and his survival was just 'by luck.' 

“Just forget about it, it’s a long story. Staying alive there was only by good luck. Despite what is happening there, it is where I was born. Home will always remain home, no matter where you go," he said. 

His progress has been steady since 2019 and last year, he made the national team to both the Commonwealth Games and World Championships. 

https://twitter.com/Marathon_N/status/1675962533725851648?s=20

The 27-year-old reached the 5000m final at the World Championships in Oregon, and earned silver over 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games – a performance he rates as the best in his career so far.

“Kiplimo is currently among the big threats in the men’s 10,000m, so finishing second to him in Birmingham was the best moment in my life and in my running career. 

"My other big moment was at the World Indoor Championships, where I finished fourth. Those two races gave me a lot of inspiration and motivation,” he said.

At the start of this season, he set his sights on the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, and the World Road Running Championships in Riga.

He finished sixth in the senior men’s race and took team gold for Kenya. Since competing in Bathurst in February, Ebenyo has been undefeated in six races across a range of distances this year.

He won 10km races in Gqeberha and Okpekpe, he triumphed over 10,000m at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in May, won the Istanbul Half Marathon in 59:52 in April, and recently won his third Kenyan 5000m title at the National Championships.

“I hope to make the team for the World Championships. And this time I want to come back with a medal. With good preparation and great teamwork, I am hopeful the gold medal will go to Kenya this time. When one (Kenyan) wins, it is a victory for all of us.

"For the World Road Running Championships in Riga, I’d prefer to be selected for the half marathon over the 5km,” Simiu said.