Mike Murei

Mike Murei

Personal information
Nationality	Kenyan
Born	(1950-03-15) 15 March 1950 (age 75)
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event	400 metres hurdles

Mike Murei (born 15 March 1950) is a Kenyan hurdler. He competed in the men's 400 metres hurdles at the 1972 Summer Olympics. ^[1]

Career

Murei attended St. Patrick's High School and was the first of its alumni to qualify for the Olympic Games. ^[2] He was first recruited to Eastern New Mexico University, where he ran for the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds alongside Phillip Ndoo and Josh Owusu. Following budget cuts at Eastern New Mexico and out of concern that he could be kicking another athlete off a scholarship, he reportedly called University of Wisconsin-Madison President John Carrier Weaver directly in 1974, asking to attend the school. ^[3]

He was an All-American runner for the Wisconsin Badgers track and field team as a member of their runner-up distance medley relay team at the 1978 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. ^{[4] [5]}

Personal life

Murei was from Eldoret, Kenya, near the Great Rift Valley. He was connected to Wisconsin through his friend Mark Sang, an 800 metres runner. While not on the Wisconsin team, he lived with a family near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. ^[3]

References

1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Mike Murei Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
2. "Echoes from the past: When the saints conquer Mt Olympian". standardmedia.co.ke .
3. "Kenyan connection runs in Badger family". Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin). 15 November 1975. p. 10. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
4. "Distance medley relay at the NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships". USTFCCCA . Retrieved 28 December 2024.
5. "Braun, Murei lead ailing Badger track team". Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin). 26 February 1978. p. 29. Retrieved 21 August 2025.