Naomi Korir Reaches Commonwealth Mile Final After Years of Illness and Stigma

Kenyan athlete Naomi Korir has described how a medical condition that affected much of her childhood nearly stood between her and the sport she loved before successful treatment allowed her to pursue athletics more fully.

Korir was born with a congenital fistula that caused urine to leak continuously through an abnormal connection between her bladder and vagina. She lived with the condition for 13 years, making training and participation in sport difficult.

Despite those challenges, she remained active in several sports, including football, netball, rugby and athletics. As the condition made longer periods of running difficult, she shifted towards shorter events and competed in the 100m hurdles.

Treatment did not provide an immediate solution. Korir underwent two operations without success before having a third procedure in August 2013 at Gynocare Hospital in Eldoret. She was 13 at the time, and that operation finally corrected the problem.

The condition also affected her socially. Caroline Mabeya, director of Gynocare, said people living with fistula can experience exclusion and psychological distress in addition to the physical effects of the condition.

After recovering, Korir continued developing as a middle-distance athlete. Her progress eventually took her to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where she reached the mile final and finished fifth.

Korir's journey to that stage came after years in which her health condition had made both everyday life and sporting participation difficult. Her experience highlights the physical and social challenges that can accompany fistula, as well as the difference successful medical treatment can make for those affected.