They ask me why Im running, I tell them Caleb Ndiku!

That is the refrain of the rap song belted by Machakos Kyalo that is all about Beijing World Championships silver winner, Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku and should he deliver Olympics gold from Rio 2016, you can be certain Run Caleb Ndiku it will be a smash hit.

The athlete famously known as ‘The Buffalo’ is determined to bring home Kenya’s only second men 5000m Olympics gold since John Ngugi scorched the field for victory at the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea.

Speaking to Citizen Digital at the Kipchoge Keino High Altitude Training Centre where the national team camped ahead of 2016, the colourful runner declared nothing is going to stand between him and the much coveted medal that he intends to add to his expanding cabinet.

“I’m ready to face the rest of the world at the Olympics. It’s one of the major medals I don’t have and the event comes after four years. I already have World Indoor, Continental Cup, Commonwealth, All Africa Games titles and the Olympics medal is missing in my title list.

“I want to show the world that I’m more than Olympian by being a medallist,” the Beijing Worlds silver medallist at the 12 and a half-lap race affirmed.

After the World Championship, Mwangangi suffered a number of injuries that forced him to keep a low profile until he fully recovered.

The unstoppable British Mo Farah doubled up in the men’s 10000m and the 5000m to deny the Kenyans victory in Beijing, stopping the timer in 13:50.38 as Mwangangi settled for silver in 13:51.75 followed closely by Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia in 13:51.86.

“The biggest challenge in the 5000m event will be the Ethiopians and a youngster from Uganda. But that does not mean I will give them the opportunity to take away my medal.  It will be an event to watch because it needs a lot of mental tactics and skills to beat them at their own game.

“I have been watching Farah’s recent races and I know what to do when it comes to him. It’s a game for everyone,” The Buffalo charged.

There were concerns he had not fully recovered at the Kenyan Trials for Rio in Eldoret on July 1 having had a patchy build-up to the selection race.

His dismal season’s opener at the Eugene IAAF Diamond League meeting in Oregon where he ran 13:12.25 for tenth further fuelled worries he was not goring at full power.

 

Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris flew to victory in 12:59.43 closely followed by Beijing silver medallist Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor in 12:59.98 who dropped the distance from 10000m as Canadian Ahmed Mohammed finished third in 13:01.74.

“The better part of last year and early this year injuries have been having a field day with me. But now have fully recovered. During the Trials I was in a little bit of pain, but I managed to be in the team. It’s nothing to worry about.

“This year I have only done two events one in Oregon though I was in pain but I was in shape and the other was the Olympics trials,” the 2014 World Indoor, Commonwealth, African, Continental Cup and Diamond League champion explained.

After Rio, the 24 year-old is already mapping out his focus.

“I want to retire with as many major titles as possible so after Olympics I plan to upgrade my World Cross junior title to senior gold. I could not participate in last year’s edition in Guiyang, China because of a back injury.

“So I will start preparing for it immediately after the Olympics. I want to bring a new face in the men’s senior race,” the Bydgoszcz 2010 World Cross junior men 8km winner announced.

Mwangangi’s fascination with the wild bovine especially its ferociousness when provoked earned him ‘The Buffalo’ nickname, hence the signature pose of a buffalo’s horns after winning races.

“Most people associate themselves with the King of the Jungle that is the Lion but for me, I prefer teamwork like the buffalo do. How they work together showcases their power and that’s how are able to protect themselves when they are being hunted,” he explained.

The Buffalo comes from a family full of talents; his late father David Ndiku was a javelin thrower while his brother Jeremiah Munyao found his love of sports in Volleyball.

“My dad passed on when I was very young but my mother kept on motivating me. I used to look at his photos and his certificates’ because after his career as a javelin thrower he became a chief starter for high schools.

“My siblings are in sport too, my brother Jeremiah prefers volleyball and played for Oserian Volleyball team as a first attack while I found mine in athletics,” Mwangangi narrated.

“I think I was born running. It started with my nursery school teacher who used to send to the river to fetch some sand. I would go running though there were some boys in school who were faster than me at time.

“When other students were being asked what they want to be when they grow up most said teachers, doctors, engineers among others but when it came to turn I said an athlete. My teacher told me that she could see the potential in me and I believed in myself and I knew I would still make him proud,” he charted his path to the sport that has brought him fame and fortune.

-All white race-

In 2009, Mwangangi made his international debut at the 2009 World Youth (U18) Championships in Bressanone, Italy having made the Kenyan team at the event’s Trials in Nairobi by finishing third.

He had anticipated to have an easy path to victory since in his mind, he would only face his compatriots and white athletes but things fell apart when he saw fellow blacks at the same event and his plans were left in disarray.

“It was immediately after high school. When I was here in Kenya, I felt nobody could beat me in the world and no white could run faster than a Kenyan.

“With that in my mind, I set myself for the race. At that time I knew I was only going to compete with white people but the shock was on me when I met Ugandans and Ethiopians at the start,” he narrated.

“I got very nervous because of the serious competition I faced from my fellow Kenyans, Ethiopians and other black people I met there. That seriously got the timing out of me although I managed to win a silver medal,” he said bursting into laughter.

While not preparing for a race The Buffalo has a number of hobbies ranging from playing basketball to even writing Hip Hop music.

“If I’m not on the track you will find me in the court playing basket ball I will be writing my lyrics like Run Caleb Ndiku Which I did the chorus,” he told with a smile having been the subject in rapper Kyalo’s number that was released this year and produced by PlagueSpreadr.

After Beijing 2015, another rapper, Kaligraph Jones ruled the airwaves with Yego after You Tube Man, Julius Yego, delivered gold. Kyalo is now crossing his fingers that The Buffalo will take him to the top of the charts from Rio.

Tags:

olympics athletics Mo Farah Rio 2016 Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku Machakos Kyalo

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