[url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/athletics/article1624398.ece]TOL[/url] said:
...In 1978, Rono went around the world clock in 81 days, setting record figures between April and June in four events. First came the 5,000 metres, then the steeplechase, then the 10,000 metres, then the 3,000 metres. By the time the Nandi tribesman from Kenya was beaten by Steve Ovett over two miles in September, he had put together 31 races unbeaten outdoors that year...
...Rono had the world at his feet, but his downfall was the glass in his hand...
...Claiming to have been robbed of his wealth by unscrupulous officials, agents and coaches, he descended into alcoholism and homelessness. "I was sleeping on the streets of New York and Boston," he said, speaking to The Times this week. "I ended up in houses for the homeless and they don't take anybody - you have to be qualified."...
...he turned up at the headquarters of Nike, in Beaverton, Oregon, his former six-figure sponsor, and asked for a cleaning job. "They didn't answer," Rono said. "I heard they thought it would be too embarrassing to hire me."...
