Julius Korir is a former Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

n athlete, who won the 3.000 m steeplechase at the 1984 Summer Olympics

1984 Summer Olympics

The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...

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Born in Nandi, Kenya, Julius Korir rose into the international athletics scene in 1982, when he surprisingly won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games

1982 Commonwealth Games

The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 30 September–9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium , in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the venue which was used for the athletics and archery competitions during the...

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Korir improved his times during the 1983 season, but finished only seventh at the first World Championships

1983 World Championships in Athletics

The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983....

. Korir continued to improve in 1984 and after winning his semi-final at the Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 Olympics

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

, he established himself as a serious contender for the gold medal. In the Olympic final, Korir was always with the leaders, and when he started his sprint for home with just over half a lap remaining, the rest of the field were unable to respond.

Korir missed the 1985 season due to injury, and although he competed for several more years, he never again represented his country at a major international championships.

Achievements

Representing
1982	African Championships 1982 African Championships in Athletics -Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics...	Cairo, Egypt	2nd	3000 m steeple	8:32.20