OSAKA — Few things in life are guaranteed, but there seems to be one automatic occurrence in athletics: a Kenyan-born athlete will win a major international steeplechase race.
A native of the East African nation has won every 3,000-meter steeplechase at the IAAF World Athletics Championships since 1991. This reign of dominance started with three straight titles for Moses Kiptanui, the first of which he won in Tokyo.
(The world championships were not staged in 1989, so Italy's Francesco Panetta, in 1987, won it before the streak began. Remember that if you're looking to impress your Trivial Pursuit partners.)