Patrick Onyango Sumba

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Patrick Onyango Sumba (July 22, 1948 - October 12, 2009) was a Kenyan triple jumper and journalist who competed for Kenya at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich in the triple jump event. [1]

Contents

Career

Onyango attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, brought via a program organized by then-Governor Warren Knowles. He was the first Kenyan to compete for the Wisconsin track team, recruited by athlete Mark Winzenried who was visiting Kenya. [2] He was an All-American jumper for the Wisconsin Badgers track and field team, finishing 5th in the triple jump at the 1971 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. [3] When he began jumping at Wisconsin, the Camp Randall Memorial Park jumping pit had to be extended by four feet to accommodate his marks. He was a talented sprinter as well, running on Wisconsin's mile relay team. [4]

Onyango won multiple consecutive Big Ten Conference indoor and outdoor championships in the triple jump, leading to comparisons with Jesse Owens. [5] [6] He was also inducted into the Wisconsin Badgers Hall of Fame in 1971. [7]

Personal life

Onyango is from Nairobi, Kenya. [8] Originally named Onyango meaning "morning sun", he was given the name Patrick by Irish missionaries, who raised him as a child and baptized him. He planned to major in diplomatic international relations. [4]

References

  1. ↑ "Athletics at the 1972 München Summer Games: Men's Triple Jump". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  2. ↑ "Kenyan connection runs in Badger family". Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin). 15 Nov 1975. p. 10. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "Triple jump at the NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships". USTFCCCA . Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Triple Jumper To Bolster UW". The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin). 15 Dec 1970. p. 25. Retrieved 21 August 2025. "Ace Jumper". The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin). 15 Dec 1970. p. 26. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  5. ↑ "Madison May Lose Meet". Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin). 3 Mar 1973. p. 4. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "New Blood Benefits UW Track Team". Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin). 3 Dec 1972. p. 28. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  7. ↑ "Patrick Onyango". uwbadgers.com .
  8. ↑ "Patrick Onyango soared..." The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin). 15 Dec 1971. p. 12. Retrieved 21 August 2025.


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