Matthew Kiprotich Birir (born 2 July 1972) is a former athlete from 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...

, winner of 3000 m steeplechase at the 1992 Summer Olympics

1992 Summer Olympics

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

.

Born in Eldama Ravine

Eldama Ravine

Eldama Ravine is a kenyan town a few miles north of the equator,geographical coordinates 0° 30' 0" North, 35° 43' 0" East. It was established as an administrative point by British colonialists and later served as a transit route for lumber harvested from surrounding forests.It is the headquarters...

, Matthew Birir started running, when he attended at the famous St. Patrick's High School

St. Patrick's High School

St. Patrick High School, St. Patrick's High School and other variants may refer to:In Canada:*St. Patrick's High School in Halifax, Nova Scotia*St. Patrick's High School in Ottawa, Ontario...

 in Iten

Iten

Iten is a town in Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It is located along the road between Eldoret and Kabarnet. Elgeyo escarpment and Kerio River are located east of Iten. The town has a population of 4000 ....

, where many great Kenyan runners are rosen.

At the Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

 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...

, the main favourite was Patrick Sang

Patrick Sang

Patrick Sang is a retired Kenyan runner.Sang won three silver medals in major 3,000 m steeplechase competitions:*1991 World Championships in Athletics*1992 Summer Olympics...

. At the Olympic final, it was soon clear, that all the medals are going to Kenya. At the last lap, the 20-year-old Birir outsprinted his older countryman Sang to win a gold 0.69 seconds ahead of latter.

At the 1993 World Championships

1993 World Championships in Athletics

The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....

 Birir was beaten to fourth by Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 Alessandro Lambruschini

Alessandro Lambruschini

Alessandro Lambruschini is an Italian former long-distance runner who specialized in the 3000 metres steeplechase.-Achievements:-Personal bests:*1500 metres - 3:35.27 min...

, who repeated this feat three years later at the 1996 Summer Olympics

1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

, so Birir had to settle again with fourth place.

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