After a glittering track career adorned with medals and accolades, 2008 Olympic 1500m gold medalist Nancy Jebet Lang’at has embarked on a mission to fight doping. Now an education officer with the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), Lang’at is using her legacy to guide the next generation toward clean sport.
The 43-year-old etched her name in history books at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, becoming the first Kenyan woman to win gold in the 1500m.
In a tactical masterpiece, she stormed to victory in 4:00.23, fending off Ukraine’s Irina Lishchinska (4:01.63) and Nataliya Tobias (4:01.78) to claim the ultimate prize.
That triumph made her the second Kenyan woman to win Olympic gold, following Pamela Jelimo’s 800m success at the Games.
Her victory shattered barriers for Kenyan women in middle-distance running, paving the way for future stars like three-time Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon to dominate the global stage.
Now, Lang’at, the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games champion, hopes her journey will inspire young athletes to run clean and uphold integrity in a sport increasingly tainted by doping.
Kenya remains under Category A—the highest doping risk level—according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
A 2018 report titled “Doping in Kenya” revealed that 138 Kenyan athletes had tested positive for banned substances between 2004 and 2018.
Lang’at, who joined ADAK two years ago, sees this as a personal battle aiming to educate athletes on the importance of running clean.
“It pains me to see our country ranked as a high-risk doping nation,” she says. “I started my career at a young age and ran clean to the Olympics. I thought, why not be a role model and mentor young athletes to succeed the right way.”
As a former elite runner, she believes she has an advantage in influencing athletes: “The athletes listen to me more because I am a former athlete and I have been where they are. They see me as an example.”
Her work involves visiting training camps across the country, conducting sensitization workshops and educating athletes on the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs and the experience, she says has been the best as well as a learning curve.
“I have been learning so much from everyone around me, including my mentors and other top personalities I work with. It is truly a humbling experience,” the 2000 World Junior Championships 800m winner added.
Beyond mentoring, her new role has helped her grow personally: “I used to be a quiet person, but this job has made me bolder. I can now stand before crowds and confidently educate them about clean sport,” she shares.
Her message to athletes is simple: “Integrity first.”
“Athletes should avoid using any enhancing substances and stay clean, maintain integrity and just copy examples from veteran athletes like myself who have been able to run clean throughout their careers and have achieved so much,” Lang’at said.
Among her accolades include 800m and 1,500m double at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, silver and bronze medals at the World Junior Championships, and gold medal at the African Junior Championships in Nigeria in 1997. Unfortunately, her career was plagued by a recurring knee injury, forcing her into early retirement.
Beyond her ADAK role, Lang’at also coaches middle-distance runners at KDF and takes time to mentor young girls in training camps.
