Billy KONCHELLAH

Billy Konchellah was equally as famous for his amazing comebacks from illness and injury as he was for his achievements on the track. Konchellah first started to make a name for himself as a junior when he set a new African record junior 800m record in 1979. Despite this promising start, little was heard about Konchellah until he broke through in 1984 to a surprising fourth-place finish in the 800m at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. His time at Los Angeles of 1min 44.03sec had been a personal best, and he further lowered this time to 1min 43.72sec at Koblenz in 1985. But following the 1985 season, Konchellah, plagued by frequent and severe asthma attacks, again slipped into virtual obscurity. However, in 1987, Billy returned better than ever, dominating the European season in the weeks prior to the World Championships held in Rome.

In the space of nine days, Konchellah won four Grand-Prix events in fast times, starting with 1min 43.98sec at Koblenz on 13 August. He followed this with 1min 44.17sec at Cologne on 16 August, 1min 43.39sec at Zurich on 19 August, and 1min 44.40sec at Berlin on 21 August. His time at Zurich was a new personal best, and also the fastest 800m time recorded that year prior to the World Championships. Needless to say, this form made Konchellah the favourite to win the world title, and he did not disappoint. In the final at Rome, on 1 September, Billy stayed in contention during the first lap, and then quickly advanced to reach the lead with 200m to go. Konchellah continued to accelerate around the final turn, and sprinted away down the straight to win (see photo above, No. 661) in a career-best time of 1min 43.06sec. (Ron Casey).

Billy Konchellah had emerged in 1987 as a world-class middle distance runner, when he won the 800m in convincing style at the World Championships in Rome. The fact that he had fought his way back from tuberculosis and severe asthma attacks made his victory even more meritorious. Unfortunately, in 1988, Billy was unable to supplement his world title with an Olympic gold medal, as he was again plagued by illness during the year, preventing him from competing at the Kenyan Olympic trials. His problems with illness only marginally improved in 1989, and his best time over 800m that year, achieved from only limited competition, was 1min 46.4sec at New Delhi on 20 September. Billy did not compete at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland in early 1990, and his best time in that year, was only 1min 46.72sec, which he recorded at an indoor meet at Karlsruhe on 11 February.

Simply put, since his World Championship win in 1987, Konchellah had achieved nothing worth writing home about over the subsequent three years. It was at this point that the US-based Kenyan decided to move home from Los Angeles to the clearer air in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The change in climate was obviously to Konchellah's liking, because he came back in 1991 in similar form to 1987. He breezed through the heats and semi-finals of the 800m at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, and then in the final, held on 27 August, he ran down the opposition to successfully defend his world title in a time of 1min 43.99sec. After this remarkable comeback, Konchellah quite naturally savoured his victory lap (see photo above) after the race. His best time for that year was 1min 43.96 sec, which he recorded at Sheffield on 15 September in the weeks following the World Championships. (Ron Casey)

By the end of 1991, Billy Konchellah had established an amazing reputation for making successful comebacks, usually from illness, including tuberculosis and asthma. The period immediately after Konchella's successful defence of his World 800m title at Tokyo in 1991 followed a familiar pattern of retraction into virtual semi-retirement, and in fact he did not make the list of the year's top 200 runners over 800m in 1992. However, in 1993, he was back again in top form, and ready to try to win his third 800m world title at the World Championships in Stuttgart. Konchellah took it easy in his heat at Stuttgart, and just managed to qualify for the further rounds, but he won his semi-final (see photo above) convincingly on 15 August, and it seemed increasingly likely that he would indeed win his third consecutive world title.

In the final on 17 August, Konchellah hang back at the rear of the pack, and was last at the 600m mark when the sprint for the finish started in earnest. Konchellah covered the last 200m faster than anyone else, and managed to catch most of the field, but he had given the leading two runners too much start, and had to be content on this occasion with the bronze medal. Following the race, he admitted that over-confidence had been his undoing. Although this was effectively the end of Konchellah's career, he kept appearing intermittently in annual world lists, albeit well down, for a number of years. In 1997, the 35 year-old Konchellah announced he was setting his sights at that year's World Championships and boldly vowed that he would beat Kenyan expatriate Wilson Kipketer (Denmark). Although Billy advanced to the semi-finals at the Kenyan trials, he failed to qualify for the 800m at the World Championships which was duly won by Kipketer. (Ron Casey).

After his running career Konchellah moved to Oulu, Finland. He married a Finnish woman and had a child.

In 2004 he was acquitted of rape charges in the UK. He was deported from the UK and extradited to Finland to face charges that he drugged and raped two Finnish girls in 2002.  Konchellah was a student in Birmingham, Britain, when the incident allegedly occurred, one of the girls had been under 16, which is the age of consent in Finland.

In 2005 he was convicted of two rapes, sexual exploitation of a child, and a drug crime and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. He was released in 2006.

ANNUAL PROGRESS.

1997     1:49.52     Linz    
1994     1:48.47     Linz    
1993     1:44.22     Berlin    
1991     1:43.99     Tokyo    
1987     1:43.06     Roma      PB
1984     1:44.03     Los Angeles