"I was very very happy!" said Rhoda Cheptoo, who could not find more accurate words to describe her feeling when she saw her daughter rushed to the finish line firstly in the women's 800 meters final at the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Pamela Jelimo, Cheptoo's daughter, who won Kenya the first ever women's Olympic gold medal on Monday, clocking 1 minute and 54.87 seconds, was born at Kaptumo Village in Nandi South District, about 300 km northwest of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

"She showed talents in running when she was in high school," said Philip Ngeno, Jelimo's teacher at Koyo Secondary School. "She was good in marathon when she was at the school. At that time, she took part in events of different levels and won many competitions. "

In June 2007, she finished fifth at the Kenyan Championships 400 meters race. The same year she won 400 meters gold medal at the African Junior Championships and made a 200 meters Kenyan national junior record of 24.68 seconds.

Last year, advised by her long time coach, Elijah Langat, Jelimo moved to practice 800 meters and ran her reportedly first 800 meters race on April 19, 2008 at the Kenyan trials for the African Championships in Athletics, clocking 2:01.02. She made her breakthrough at the 2008 African Championships aged 18. Her time, 1:58.70, was a new national junior record.

"Because of poverty, Pamela tended to be barefoot when she was training," said Langat, who has been coaching the 18-year-old champion from primary school up to now.

Cheptoo, a single mother of nine children, could not afford Jelimo's school fees so the girl had to quit school sometimes at high school. Fortunately, with support of government stipend, she finished her studying and was admitted by an American college.

"She didn't go to the U.S.A. due to lack of transportation fee, " said Daniel Maru, principal of the Koyo Secondary School. "We would have nearly lost one gold medal to the U.S.A., if the police had not recruited her to join the force."

Though the mother doesn't know how much rewards her daughter will get for winning the gold, Cheptoo said the money would certainly change the life of this poor family.

When asked when her daughter will come back home, the beaming mother shook her head. "I don't know, but the whole family will hold a very big celebration to welcome her back because she brings much glory to us and to the country. We feel so proud of her."

(Xinhua News Agency August 24, 2008)