GECU PRESENTS: Paul Ereng's Gold-Medal Performance in the 800m at the 1988 Summer Olympics

Paul Ereng accomplished the ultimate goal for any track athlete. The goal of winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

Ereng, UTEP's Cross-Country Head Coach and Associate Head Track & Field Coach, did just that at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The Kitale, Kenya, native crossed the finish line first in the men's 800m final.

He was an underdog, who became a hero.

Before claiming the prestigious gold medal. Ereng started competing at a later age, unlike most Kenyan runners who start at an early age.

"When I was growing up back in Kenya, track and field was done by every school," Ereng said. "A lot of kids excelled and some went to nationals really young. I didn't do that till later on in high school. Kenya has tons of legends in track and field. As I grew up, I started to realize I could be one of these people."

Though Kenya produced multiple star track athletes, Ereng looked up to a runner from another country.

"In 1984 when I was in 10^th grade, I watched the '84 Olympics and saw a Brazilian by the name of Joaquim Cruz who became the Olympic champion in the 800," Ereng said. "When you pick someone as a kid, you start to follow what they're doing, and watching Cruz was more like watching my hero in track and field rather than a Kenyan athlete."

Ereng went on to enroll at the University of Virginia in 1987. The 800m wasn't his first choice of competition however as Ereng excelled in the 400m. But it was Ereng's coach Fred Hardy who convinced him to compete in a different event.

"My main aim was to run the 400m," Ereng explains. "But when I got to college, my coach convinced me, saying 'I think you run a good 400, I see that, and there's no doubt about it. But I do believe if you let me work with you in the 800, I have a feeling you'll do incredible.' And I said, 'Well, coach, next year is an Olympic year. I really want to go to the Olympics. What is it going to take for me to run the 800?'"

As the Olympics were on Ereng's mind and he put in the necessary work with his coach. Prior to winning gold, Ereng accomplished big feat at the mecca of track and field.

"I kept improving every week we were training. I had a PR every day until June," Ereng said. "I also won the NCAA National Championship as a freshman in Eugene, Oregon, which gave me a lot of confidence."

In fact, Ereng won back-to-back National Championships in the 800m in '88 and '89.

Even though Ereng kept improving in the 800m, he barely qualified for the Olympic team, finishing third in his heat at the Kenyan Olympic trials. But no matter how he advanced, Ereng was going to represent his country Sept. 23-26 in Seoul, South Korea.

On Monday, Sept. 26, 1988 the gun went off in the 800m final.

"When the race began, I ran in the back up to about the bell, and then I started to move in," Ereng said. "By the time I got to about 300 meters to go, I was thinking I have so much energy, I should just go all-out. But when I thought about it, I discouraged myself. If I do that, I might blow it up. So, I just kept calm. With about 200 meters to go, I had already caught up to some people. But got to the back because I ran on the inside and got boxed in and there was nowhere to go. But I felt very strong. I was wishing and hoping that there will be an opening and that I'll run all-out. In the home stretch, I was able to open up in the straight and sprint."

Ereng not only beat seven other runners. He did it against his hero growing up and another great runner.

"The guys I was running against were very experienced,' Ereng said. "Defending Olympic champion Joaquim Cruz was there, and there was a runner from Morocco, Said Aouita, who had never lost a race from 1984 to 1988."

Ereng claimed gold and a hero's welcome in Kenya, clocking in a 1:43.45, as he used his speed down the stretch to drift to the outside and sprint past Cruz, who finished in second place with a time of 1:43.90. Aouita placed third at 1:44.06.

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