Naomi Korir's career on the track reached a high point in August when she finished fifth in the final of the mile at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. But things could have been very different for the Kenyan middle-distance runner. The 28-year-old was born with fistula, a medical condition in which abnormal openings develop between organs and can lead to uncontrolled leakage of urine or faeces. While Korir loved athletics as a child, it initially forced her to rethink any plans to be a runner.
"I played most of the sports activities: football, netball, athletics, even rugby," she said. "But it was difficult because [of] the training, and the urine is flowing continuously. It's bad. I reduced my running to shorter distances to reduce the leaking. I began doing 100m hurdles." Despite the challenges, Korir's love of sport also offered a form of escape and belonging. "I could do it because I loved it," she explained. "Because most of the people could avoid me, I did a lot of activities just to pass time and not to feel that I'm excluded."
The charity Doctors Without Borders estimates that 500,000 women live with fistula globally. Korir was born with genitourinary tract fistula - an opening between bladder and vagina which caused her urine leakage. Surgery was required, but her first two operations failed. In August 2013, a third operation finally brought relief. The procedure was carried out in her home town Eldoret by the Gynocare Hospital, which specialises in fistula. "It's a difficult condition to live with every day," Gynocare director Caroline Mabeya told BBC Sport Africa. "They are ostracised in the society."
For Korir, successful surgery offered a second chance. She continued her education through Gynocare's Beyond Fistula programme. "I have a family in Gyno Care, a fistula home," she said. "That is where I schooled after my surgery until I finished my secondary level." In 2019, Korir began competing professionally. The mile at this year's Commonwealth Games was her first appearance in a major global final. "I'm giving hope to young women maybe who have lost hope," she said. Mabeya says Korir's transformation makes her a powerful example. "Naomi actually is one of those patients that inspires us to continue working very hard."
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing