When this year’s Olympic Games get underway on July 26 in the French capital, one couple’s marriage will be tested in the ‘city of love’.
As Kenya’s 5,000 metres runner, Ronald Kwemoi, plots to win gold in the race that has eluded the country for 36 years, his Ugandan wife, Stella Chesang, will be looking to make history as the first woman to win gold in the marathon for her nation after many years as a long-distance runner.
Kenya and Uganda are sporting rivals and that ‘enmity’ will also be on show at the Olympics, leaving Kwemoi and Chesang in a dilemma, whether to put their countries first, or stay true to their union. However, they affirm that they are patriots first before anything else and are focused on delivering for their respective nations.
“As we head to Paris, I will be wishing my wife the best as she represents Uganda, but I am also aiming for a good race to make my country proud,” said Kwemoi.
Chesang agrees with their husband’s take on the matter: “Our goal as a family is to work hard and do our best in the respective races.”
On the contrary, they view their upcoming participation in the Olympics as an opportunity to show their worth and make history.
“I’m glad I will be representing my country at my second Olympics and hopefully this time it will be memorable as compared to my debut in Rio (2016),” Chesang said.
“It is not every day that you have a husband and a wife competing for two different countries. Imagine the buzz we will create if we both win gold medals,” she added.
For Kwemoi, it will also be a second appearance at the Summer Games, and he is fully aware of the pressure on his shoulders to deliver gold in a race in which Kenyans have played second fiddle to Ugandans and Ethiopians.
“Jacob Kiplimo and Joshua Cheptegei are like my in-laws……that’s my family too and when we meet in the competition, we have to fight because they have been giving Kenyans a hard task,” he said.
“Paris will not be a joke and that is why my wife and I have been encouraging each other on the need to do our best when we get to the competition, “revealed Kwemoi.
The two live in Iten but train separately with Kwemoi based at Kaptagat, while his wife trains at Iten. They are both under the Global Sports Company.
Chesang won gold in the 10,000m race during the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia before transitioning to the marathon in 2023.
“They are only a few ladies who run (at the top level) in Uganda, and I want to show that you can perform and women can achieve in sport,” she said.
They met in 2016 during the Rio Olympics in Brazil and it was love at first sight. Two years later, they were married and had their first child, Ethan Kipkorir, in 2020.
“What attracted me to him was his humility and running prowess. We exchanged contacts and kept in touch. And years later, I am glad that he is in my life and we are both doing what we love despite representing two different nations,” Stella, 27, recalls.
For Kwemoi, Chesang came into her life at the perfect time having suffered the disappointment of falling during the 1,500m final at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing 12th.
“I had so much hopes of a medal but it wasn’t to be and the incident crushed me. I met Stella weeks later and she offered a shoulder to lean on and encouraged me to let go of the Rio ghosts and move on,” he revealed during the interview.
According to Chesang, competing for different nationals has never brought any rift between them, and on the contrary, strengthened their love and bond.
“We are each other’s greatest supporter and critic, we monitor all our races and train together whenever possible. My husband will always call me before a race and encourage me and this motivates me. I thank God for him every day,” Chesang, who is the second eldest of nine siblings, said.
