From Jumping Rivers to Smashing Records: The inspiring journey of Katonon

Athletic fans in the 1990s are familiar with the name Jacob Katonon, the man that glued fans to the then black and white screens with his sky-high jumps, shattering records in the long jump and triple jump events.

But Katanon's journey to greatness didn't begin on the track; it started with his mischievous leaps over rivers that snaked through his village. Little did he know that those daring jumps would become the stepping stones to smashing records in the long jump and triple jump events.

Mozzart Sport caught up with this history-maker who has since retired, but rivers still no longer pose a challenge. Katonon is now a maize farmer in one of the country's leading maize baskets.

It is still mid morning in Taach Asis village, Moiben, Uasin Gishu County. The air, once chilly, is still awakening with a newfound warmth, as if the sun's gentle caress breathed life into every atom. The world seems to come alive with the symphony of bird songs filling the air.

53-year-old Katonon leads us to his house which is in the middle of his maize plantation, barely two kilometres away from the Garage Trading Centre. From the look of things, he expects a bounty harvest later in the year.

Katonon admires his grown maize as he shares a light moment with his wife Prisca. From a close analysis, he has the shrink-wrapped physique of an anatomical sketch, a body engineered for peak cardiovascular performance. There isn’t a gram of extra material.

At the same time, crevices on his cheeks make him appear older, lending him an air of hard-earned wisdom. When he speaks, the words come slowly and carefully. It is impossible to guess that he is the age of 53.

He quickly displays his triple and long jump tactics at his lush green compound. As the laughter subsides, Katonon proudly twinkles and says, "See, now?" He might be growing old, but he's got a move or two.

As a young boy growing up in Taach Asis, Katonon jumped over fences, rivers and streams, ditches, and logs in nearby thickets.

He recalls how, when hunting antelopes with his teenage buddies, he effortlessly hopped across the flooded neighboring River Arbabuch; a feat that made it simple for him to compete in three field events at Tachasis Primary School.

The long jumper was also forced into field events after making repeated, strenuous trips to and from the 5 km away Moiben trade center, where his parents frequently sent him to buy necessities.

Katonon would watch several high, triple and long jump competitions on international television channels and repeated their tactics severally under the close watch of inexhaustible athletics tactician Bro Colm O’Connell in Iten.

Bro Colm, an Irish missionary and teacher who became Kenya’s father of athletics coaching spotted Katonon during school games championships in the early 1990s where he was competing as a sprinter (100m, 200m and 400m) before later discovering his prowess in the field events.

To further shape his career before 1996, Katonon trained at the 12th Engineers Thika Barracks where he accessed facilities and technical training.

His memorable competition was at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He recalls it was during that time when he prepared for the Atlanta showpiece in Mississippi, USA alongside Triple Jump World Record holder Jonathan Edwards.

“I was lucky to have trained with Jonathan Edwards ahead of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. During our prime, he became a World Record holder and I held the African record. The fans were supportive during my prime, especially when I was competing at the Olympics. The World Athletics (then International Amateur Athletic Federation) was supportive. I was asked where I wanted to train ahead of the Atlanta Olympics and I chose Mississippi,” he vividly recalled.

His hopes of further conquering the world were however cut short by a debilitating injury that put him on the sidelines in the same year.

After the emotional high of leading Kenya to more glory, Katonon could have easily opted for a quieter life, on a riverbank somewhere, but he remains driven to help put Kenya's athletics in an even better place. He trained as a field events coach in Senegal soon after retiring from the sport.

“I now want to receive aspiring field events athletes to come here and learn. I want to share my skills and experiences with them. I want to share and expose them to essential tactics. I am urging my County (Uasin Gishu) to step in and help me nurture young talents. I am now a farmer, but my heart is in nurturing a strong field events team,” Katonon told Mozzart Sport.

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Today, Katonon still holds two national records out of the three after Mathew Sawe bettered his 2.24m high jump record at the 2018 African Championships.

“My long-standing national records tell you that I have the secrets to the country’s success in field events. I want to produce field event athletes who can compete at the Diamond Leagues and compete with world-class fields in global championships,” he vowed.

According to Katonon, today, Kenya is rich with facilities, but athletes lack trained coaches. It is why he vowed that beyond being a maize farmer, he would help change lives by coaching budding athletes in Uasin Gishu County.

“Kenya has a huge potential in the high, long, and triple jump as well as Pole Vault but we have no adequate coaches. When I walk around in the village, I see track athletes who can be shaped into the country’s best field athletes but we have limited facilities.”

"When my high jump national record was bettered (in 2018) many Kenyans didn’t know that I was still alive. What they did not know is that I balanced the three field events during a time when there were no facilities. Today, facilities can be accessed, but coaches are few. I see many talents in school competitions, but no one is sharpening their skills,” he says.

The record breaker foresees a future where high, long and triple jump athletes will largely reap from their talent; just like his took him to nearly 50 countries within five years in the 1990s.

“When we talk about achievements, field events took me to places I would not have reached had I not been an athlete. I am in a stable marriage. I am also working hard in agriculture and educating my children. All these are courtesy of my athletics career. The earnings from sport were not much but I gained discipline and focus,” Katonon says.

Katonon in action during a previous masters event in Nairobi

He says he is still available to fly the country’s flag in masters competitions and has set his eyes on setting a long jump record in his category.

“Field events are my passion. I am ready for the masters championships any time because I want to take part until that time that my legs can no longer move. The good thing is that an athlete is allowed to participate in masters events until one attains 105 years. If I am lucky to be alive, you will see me competing in my 80s,” he says.

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We chatted shortly with Katonon's mother, Mary who is also a renowned farmer. According to Mary, her son effortlessly won field events in school before he started representing the country in major championships.

“Jacob never gave up. He loved and still loves sports. I am even more proud that he has a son who is following in his steps,” Mary revealed.

Katonon's son, Milton Katonon, a student at Kapkoimur Secondary School in Nandi is an upcoming high jumper. His father assured him of his unwavering support in the journey.

JACOB KATONON FACT FILE

Age: 53

World Records:

Long Jump – 8.12m

Triple Jump – 17.12m

Global championships

1994 - Commonwealth Games in Canada

1995 - World Championships in Sweden

1996 - Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia (USA)