The Track of Enlightenment: Kiboko’s Race to Success

AT SEA

07.19.2014

Courtesy Story

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73)

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Oscar Albert Moreno Jr.
USS George Washington

WATERS TO THE WEST OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA - Logistics Specialist 1st Class Kisute Kiboko of supply department aboard the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), from Washington, D.C., will be placed in the Wayland Baptist University (WBU) Hall of Honor to recognize his hard work and dedication to the WBU track team from 1985 to 1989.

Originally from Tanzania, Kiboko was introduced to running by his brother-in-law, Suleiman Nyambui, an Olympic gold medalist.

“My brother-in-law told me his stories about all his accomplishments from his running career,” said Kiboko. “He gave me amazing advice when I reached out for him to teach me how to achieve what he had accomplished.”

Kiboko broke the school record of the 5000m run in 1984 while running for his high school track team. He completed the race in 14 minutes and 12 seconds: exactly one minute faster than the previous record.

“The local newspaper posted the story on the front page and someone from WBU reached out to me and offered me a track scholarship,” said Kiboko.

Kiboko competed in more than 100 track events in almost every major city in the United States during his four years at WBU. He won 12 national championships and broke three records: two of them in the 1,000 yard sprint in 1986 and 1987, and one in the two-mile relay race in 1989.

“Speed was my greatest attribute when it came to sports,” said Kiboko. “In the relay events, I was always the anchor, who was the last guy to get the baton and the one who had to be faster than anybody on his team in order to cut the distance between competitors. As soon as I got the baton, I would tell myself, ‘catch up to whoever is ahead of you.’ With that motivation, I was able to run to the fullest of my ability and break those records.”

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in science, Kiboko moved to Kansas City, Mo., where he got to travel around the world.

“While being sponsored by Nike, I ran in a summer competition against other shoe companies, going to places like Sweden, Finland, Germany, England, Italy, France and Russia,” said Kiboko. “Running allowed me to see a world that I would have never experienced under normal circumstances.”

During his three years working for Nike, Kiboko also taught at Central High School in Missouri, teaching Swahili, mathematics, physical education and science.

“My primary reason for running was to further my education,” said Kiboko. “Even with my success, I never lost sight of my goal.”

After four years of training, Kiboko arrived at the Olympics but to Kiboko’s dismay, his dream was never made a reality due to an unforeseen physical injury.

“The last week of preparation, my coach gave us intense training and I suffered a severe tear in my hamstring,” said Kiboko. “The doctor that tended to my injury said I would never be able to run competitively again. I felt absolutely heartbroken. Running had become my life. I had come so close to reaching the arena of champions and for the first time in my running career I had failed.”

Being unable to run, Nike dropped his sponsorship but he refused to fail into despair. Instead, he raised his head high and pursued his teaching career.

“When I was 28, I remembered looking at the track team performing their drills and exercises when a Navy recruiter approached me,” said Kiboko. “With the promise of allowing me to pursue my education, I joined the U.S. Navy.”

After undergoing physical therapy for over a year, Kiboko, against all odds, competed in the Armed Forces Games in 1998, placing in second place at the 800m run and first place in the 1,500m run. Kiboko competed the following year and placed first in both the 800m and 1,500m run, proving the good doctor wrong.

“It was an accomplishment to be able to prove the doctor wrong,” said Kiboko. “The pain would not allow me to perform how I did before but I was able to come out on top.”

At the turn of the millennium, Kiboko dedicated the rest of his naval career to the pursuit of learning. He earned a degree from the Masters of Business Administration in Naples, Italy, and is currently in the process of earning a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.

Twenty-five years after his graduation from WBU, he received an email from Greg Feris, director of athletics of WBU, stating that their Athletic Hall of Honor committee met earlier this year made their selection of individuals to be recognized at the university’s homecoming event, with Kiboko being one of those they would like to honor.

“I was shocked,” said Kiboko. “After 15 years of vowing to never run competitively again, I received the email and was filled all the memories I had put past me. All my accomplishments came back to me and I was overwhelmed with nostalgia. It took me a week to compose myself to response. I feel so proud that I am to be forever remember in WBU’s Hall of Honor.”

His legacy will forever be inscribed in WBU’s Hall of Honor, where newcomers to the track field will see his name in inspiration and an obstacle they must pass to one day become legends themselves.

George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

• Date Taken: 07.19.2014
• Date Posted: 07.19.2014 11:31
• Story ID: 136613
• Location: AT SEA