Taekwondo is the art of self-defense that originated in Korea. It is recognized as one of the oldest forms of martial arts in the world, reaching back over 2,000 years. The name was selected for its appropriate description of the art: Tae (foot), Kwon (hand) and Do (art). Despite the game having attracted only few people in the country, Michael Letoluo, a 37-year-old Maasai man is thriving in the game. Letoluo who was born and raised up at Olokurto ward in Narok North Sub County says he was not able to transit to secondary school after sitting for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) for lack of school fees. He remained at home to help his parents in the farm as his colleagues joined high school until in the year 2008 when he left home to look for casual jobs.
“I left to Nakuru and fortunately I was employed as a watchman in one of the security companies in the town. I was very determined in my job such that I used to run from Mawanga estate where I was residing to Nakuru town every day,” he recalls. Little did he know that there was someone who used to watch him run back and forth every day. One day, the man approached him and asked his company in the running sessions. “I was shy to introduce myself to the stranger as a security guard. Instead, I pretended to be an athlete who was running for fun. The man later introduced me to the Taekwondo training sessions,” says Letoluo. He recalls the man took him to the training ground where many people who were more experienced in the game used to meet and he began training him Taekwondo.
“Everything about Taekwondo was new to me. I thought the game involves just throwing legs and hands on the air aimlessly. Little did I know it was an art that was to be done in a particular way.” Letoluo says. The experience made Letoluo very excited that he quit the security guard job to fully participate in the taekwondo trainings that were very involving. Later, Letoluo learnt that his coach, who introduced him to the game, was a military personnel who was on his long holiday hence he had to return back to the barracks. Before he left to the barracks, Letoluo said the military officer booked him his first game at Nyayo stadium commonly known as ‘Nairobi Open’.
“Nairobi open is a game for champions across the East African region. I was very excited to be part of those participating in the game,” he reiterates. Though he did not know much about Taikwondo, he says he had courage that he would win in the game because this was his only hope of earning an income. In his first game, Letoluo became a silver medalist, which made him famous across East Africa region. This encouraged him to do more practice. By this time, the young man had not informed his relatives back home of his new career because he was sure they would oppose the idea of paying too much to train yet there were no financial gains.
“I chose not to tell my family as they would put me off as the job was not paying instead I am the one who paid for trainings and to participate in the national games,” he says. He recalls one of his friend and coach Daniel Bukero, whom guided and stuck close to him after he realized that he was a very talented young man. “We used to train with Bukero until midnight though he was my senior. He became very instrumental to me as he used to connect me to various games that were being played around the country,” says Letoluo. During this period, the young man says he did not have any means of earning an income and used to depend on well-wishers for his upkeep.
Later he secured a job with a security company in Meru County in the year 2013 where he was paid Sh. 5, 000 per month.
In the course of time, the Kenya Methodist University realized his talent and hired him to be representing them whenever they had a game. This became so much involving as he had to travel to many parts of the country to represent the university forcing him to drop his job in Meru County. He traveled back to Nairobi where he lived as he continued with his trainings of the game that he really loved. Days later in the year 2015, while in the training camp, he met a Pakistan lady who introduced him to massage training. Letoluo confesses that the massage business gave him good money that he used to purchase all the attire needed for Taekwondo and pay for the games.
In 2016 after joining the National team, Letoluo was lucky to be selected in the team that would represent Kenya in the Korea Championship that was to be held in Rwanda where he became bronze medalists. He went back to Rwanda to play ‘Gorilla open’ game and became a silver medalist. In 2017, he represented Kenya in a regional competition and he became a gold medalist. He says he has participated in all inter-county games that have been held since devolution and awarded the best player in the finals held in Migori County in the year 2019. Slowly, Letoluo became too famous in the world that he received invitation from different countries to train trainers in their countries.
Among the countries he has been invited is Bahrain in Middle East by a famous gym known as ‘future gym’ where he went for three months to train instructors. Later, Bahrain national team invited him to train trainers and stayed for six months before jetting back to the county. Letoluo says he has since began a Taekwondo training school and massage center in Nairobi South C estate that has attracted many clients. The husband of one wife and father of two children calls upon young people not to give up in what they believe in as in the end it will pay them dearly. As a way of giving back to the society, Letoluo says he is sponsoring 12 football clubs in his home area. The young man is an icon of hope to the many young people who have unique talent to continue pressing on and not to give up so that they can reap from their unique gifting.