Early July 2021, a TikTok video of a Kenyan schoolboy emerged as he was running alongside professional athletes gearing up for the Tokyo Olympics. On catching up with the elite group ahead, he casually removed his bag and moved it to the front and carried on. The video went viral, so we sent it to one of our own DBA track athletes who used to train in Eldoret.  Within 20 mins he had tracked him down, got his full name, number, school and by that evening we were lucky enough to meet this schoolboy via a video call.

Dennis Cheruiyot, 20yrs old and a current Form 4 student, has not had it easy. He lives solo, a 6km run away from school and struggles to make ends meet as well as fit in his schoolwork and household chores.

We shared the amazing video on our social media platforms and instantly had individuals wanting to help Dennis.  Fast forward a few months and his school fees are covered until the end of Form 4, monthly living costs as well as training wear and expenses for a period of 12 months. We managed to find the coach who posted the video, Neto Goncalves a top Brazilian long-distance coach and have been able to keep the relationship by arranging remote coaching sessions.

Dennis has a big ambition to be a track athlete. Watch this space for more updates on Dennis’ athletics career which he will focus on after his KCSEs in March 2022.