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NAIROBI, Oct. 22-- In every sport, champions have unique characters and will always defy the odds to find a way to win. World and Olympic steeplechase champion Conselsus Kipruto exhibited such desire to challenge his mind and body and overcome his fears to retain his title at the just concluded World Championships at a time many had worried about who will step forward to secure Kenya's most treasured track competition. Everyone had ruled him out, and rightly so because Kipruto, the steeplechase god, was in despair five months into the biggest competition of the season, the World Championships. The 24-year-old prodigy was nursing a stress fracture in the talus bone that left him with a painful foot. Due to its location and lack of blood flow, it's an injury that is usually slow to heal. Doctors had demanded full rest for the foot to heal, he had to endure two-and-a-half months off running. His world was crashing, fear was eating him up but deep down, he held onto hope that somehow, he would be fit to secure Kenya's pride and extend the tradition of winning every gold medal in the last two decades in the steeplechase. "I had a lot of stress, a lot of worries. What am I going to do until I make it to Worlds? What will I do when I'm in recovery?", said Kipruto. The injury had laid Kipruto low for the entire season. Success was not guaranteed. He almost had similar problems a year before but recovered late to win the IAAF Diamond League final in Zurich, snatching victory from what seemed inevitable defeat. | 
