Mike Boit was taken around the track at the Brussels Diamond League final/HANDOUT
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has congratulated Kenyan athletics legend Mike Boit after he was inducted into the Memorial Van Damme Hall of Fame in Brussels.
Miano described Boit’s recognition as a celebration of his enduring contribution to athletics and his role in putting Kenya on the global sporting map.
“Heko to legendary athletics pioneer Mike Boit on your induction into the Memorial Van Damme Hall of Fame at the Brussels Diamond League decades after a historic 800m win in 1977, your legacy continues to put Kenya on the global map,” Miano said.
Boit was among three athletics greats inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, alongside American sprint and long jump icon Carl Lewis and high-jump star Dwight Stones.
The honour has particular significance for Boit, who won the 800 metres at the first Memorial Van Damme meeting in 1977.
His victory came a year after Belgium’s Ivo Van Damme won silver in the same event at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.
Boit was also the first Kenyan athlete to compete on the international meeting circuit, marking an important chapter in the rise of Kenya as an athletics powerhouse.
The Memorial Van Damme Hall of Fame recognises athletes whose performances, personalities and charisma have helped shape the history of the Brussels meeting.
Miano used Boit’s latest honour to highlight the wider value of Kenya’s athletics heritage, particularly in promoting the country as a sports tourism destination.
“Kenya’s sports dominance remains one of our greatest national assets. Through Sports Tourism, we continue to leverage the global prestige of our athletic heritage to promote Kenya as a premier destination for world-class sports events, high-altitude training, and unmatched travel experiences,” she said.
Boit’s induction adds his name to a prestigious list of athletes recognised by the Memorial over the years.
Other Kenyans in the Hall of Fame include two-time Olympic silver medallist Paul Tergat and former world 3,000 metres champion Daniel Komen, who were inducted in 2022.
Asafa Powell, the Jamaican sprint star, was among those inducted in 2023 alongside Michael Johnson, Sergey Bubka and Marie-José Pérec.
The 2026 ceremony also honoured Lewis, who competed at the Memorial eight times and won the long jump, 100 metres and 200 metres during his appearances.
His 8.65-metre long jump victory in 1984 remains the meeting record in Brussels.
Stones, who competed during the same era as Van Damme, won the high jump at the inaugural Memorial with a 2.27-metre clearance. He went on to break the world record three times and win two Olympic bronze medals.
Boit’s recognition comes nearly 50 years after his breakthrough victory in Brussels, underlining the lasting impact of the generation that helped establish Kenya’s reputation in international athletics.
