Amb. Tegla Loroupe was born in 1973 in the hilly region of West Pokot Kapsait location, Lelan division of West Pokot District.  She grew up with 24 siblings and spent her childhood working fields and looking after younger brothers and sisters.  At the age of seven she started to go to school: a barefoot run of 10 kilometres every morning.  At school she became aware of her potential as an athlete when she beat older students in school races.  She was determined to pursue a career as a runner, but was not supported in this by anyone except her mother.  After winning a prestigious cross-country race in 1988, she was nominated for the junior world championships, finishing 28th.

She attended Kapsait primary school and later Nasokol Girls High school for her O- level. She got a scholarship to study accounts at the Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology before joining Telkom Kenya.  From a humble background to an international sports icon, Tegla singles out humility, patience, hard work, team spirit and mercies from the Almighty as the principle ingredients of such a success story

Tegla Loroupe is perhaps unrivalled international sports figure of all time with a number of international athletics medals, records and honours in her belt.  At one time she was vividly regarded as the fastest woman in the world!   From a humble background to an international sports icon, Tegla’s own experiences make her a heroine and role model for girls and women.  She is vociferous about the issues they face and is a strong advocate for change.

However, it is not only Tegla’s athletic ability that deserves respect, it is also her commitment to helping those in need across the world, and the energy she puts into alleviating poverty in her home country of Kenya.  With her earnings from athletics, she has helped all of her family and funded many of her siblings through education and also set up the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation.

The Foundation was formed with the main aim of reaching warring communities in Northern Kenya, Southern Sudan, North Eastern Uganda, Ethiopia and other volatile areas in the region in peace building through conflict resolution programs, Gender Empowerment, HIV/AIDS awareness programs and the promotion of education and sports.

The main purpose of the Foundation is to support and further initiatives that promote conflict resolution, peace building and poverty reduction initiatives that enhance livelihoods and resilience of poor people affected by and vulnerable to conflicts and civil strife in the world.

As well as President & Founder of the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation and her role as Chef de Mission for the Olympic Refugee Team in Tokyo, Tegla also currently holds the following roles:

• Executive Member – Kenya Academy of Sports Council.

• Executive Member – Laureus Sports Academy Foundation Member

• Executive Member – IOC Athletes’ Entourage Commission

• WADA – World Anti-Doping Agency’s Athlete Committee

• Executive Member – CLT International Foundation

• ANOCA – Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa – Athletes Commission representing zone five (Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Southern Sudan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Egypt, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, DRC Congo).

• ANOC – Association of National Olympic Committees – Athletes Commission