•Limo has developed a love affair with the month of August as far as his life successes are concerned
•He shares a birthmonth with his son, Tony Helsinki Kigen, who was born 48 hours after he won gold in Finland
•It was the only gold medal for Kenya at the Finland showdown and was also a year of poor medal harvest
Image: EMMANUEL SABUNI
The 2005 World Championship in Helsinki was not a particularly good outing for Kenya as they came back home with only one gold.
That gold came courtesy of Benjamin Kipkoech Limo who outsprinted Ethiopian Silesi Sihine and Craig Mottram of Australia to take top honours.
It is simply memorable! Since then, no Kenyan runner has won the 12-lap race.
On the surface, Limo may seem like any other long-distance athlete whose ingredients for success include hard work and natural talent.
However, a keener look at his life shows a man who has developed a love affair with the month of August as far as his life successes are concerned.
It was in August that he won the world title in Helsinki, in addition to the World Military Games.
"The month of August is the most memorable in my life. I coiled the lucky number 508 starting from the year I won gold in Helsinki in 2005 (5), favourite race 5,000m together with the month of August (08) that he refers to as the month of success and date of birth, so 5 and 8 was separated by 0 and formed complete figures 508,” Limo says.
Born in August 1974, the former Athletics Kenya (AK) Uasin Gishu County chairman shares a birth month with his son, Tony Helsinki Kigen, who was born 48 hours after he won gold in Finland. Limo is now well-known as Mr 508 or Baba Helsinki.
Limo started running at a tender age at Chepkongony Primary School in Uasin Gishu. His parents were proud of him because when they sent him, he would return faster than his siblings.
While in school, Limo usually ran five-kilometre every morning. He was inspired by neighbour Leah Malot, the 1987 African Games 10,000m Champion to take up the sport.
Image: EMMANUEL SABUNI
A long wait
The birth of Tony was a sigh of relief for the former AK Central Rift secretary and his wife, Margaret, who were both under pressure to deliver to two different but connected races.
The Limos had long searched for a male child and the expected arrival of Tony was a case of keeping fingers crossed.
While preparing for the race in August 2005, he could not settle for training as it was a nightmare over the burning desire for a son.
The two-time Commonwealth Games 5,000m medalist then named the son Kigen, which in Kalenjin means “after a long wait.”
“I was under pressure to beat Ethiopians and bring home the elusive 5,000m gold at world championships. On the other hand, I wanted my wife to deliver gold at home –our son! And we began the race for double gold medals,” Limo explains.
He also named the boy Tony in honour of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who he has always admired for his leadership style.
“While I trained in Britain, I was impressed by Tony Blair’s system of governance,” Limo, who trained under British kingmaker Ricky Simms in London, says.
On the track, the father of three was under pressure to deliver after a lacklustre performance by Team Kenya.
“In that competition, I was the only Kenyan to win a gold medal. All of our officials had left except Gor Sungu since we had embarrassed them because Kenya was associated with bagging gold,” he says.
Limo adds: “Even other countries kept on asking what had gone wrong with Kenya. We had never experienced the desperation of such magnitude. But deep within me, I was determined to bring gold home –to keep our vows alive with my wife Margaret.”
It was the only gold medal for Kenya at the Finland showdown and was also a year of poor medal harvest in the tracks –the last world 5,000m gold medal to date.
“I dedicated my gold to my son (Tony Helsinki Kigen). I had to run very first in the last lap with 51 seconds. I managed this because I was used to running short races like 100m, 200m and 400m,” he says.
He was also unanimously retained as an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Athlete representative when the posts came up for council’s voting after the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea in 2011. He later relinquished the post to multiple 3,000m world champion Ezekiel Kemboi.
Numbers don't lie
Obsessed with numbers, Limo then combined the year 2005 (5) and August (08) in which he coined his 508 fame.
You will also find his 508 trademark stand as registration numbers on his Toyota Land cruiser, Massey Ferguson tractor, Combine harvester and on his Toyota Prado.
Furthermore, all his mobile phone numbers end with the digit 508.
Nonetheless, Limo does not plan to trademark 508.
“This is meant for my family only. I don’t intend it for any business. This is a family recognition and trademark but not to make a profit out of it,” he explains.
Benjamin Limo Biography
1974- Born in Chepkongony village, Uasin Gishu County
1980- Joined Chepkongony Primary School
1989-Joined Chebara High Schhol
1993- Enrolled at Kenya Defence Forces, Ngong
1998- Finished 4th at the World Cross Country Championships in Marrakech, Morocco.
1999- Won gold at the World Cross Country Championships in Belfast, United Kingdom
1999- Won silver medal in 5,000m at the World Athletics Championships in Seville, Spain.
2002-Won 5,000m silver at Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England.
2002-Won silver in 5,000m at the Africa Senior Athletics Championships.
2005- Won gold in 5,000m at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
2005- Named Kenya Sports Personality of the Year
2006- Won 5,000m silver at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.
2008- Debut in marathon at Amsterdam, finishing 12th.