Early career Osano competed for Kenya at an early age and as a
junior athlete he shared in a team silver at the
1987 IAAF World Cross Country Championships (led by winner
Wilfred Kirochi) before returning in
1989 to finish fourth and help Kenya to the team title alongside individual medallists
Kipyego Kororia and
Stephenson Nyamau. He won an individual medal at the
1988 World Junior Championships in Athletics, entering the
20K run, where he was runner-up to Ethiopia's
Zeleke Metaferia. He began running in the
Japanese corporate athletic system in 1990 and had much success in the country. He took a distance double at the
Japan Championships in Athletics and won a second 10,000 m title in 1991.
African champion and missed Olympics Osano competed extensively around the world in the 1991 season. In May he had wins at the
Great West Run in England, as well as at the
Bay to Breakers and
Bolder Boulder in the United States. He was selected to represent Kenya on the track at the
1991 World Championships in Athletics. His compatriots
Moses Tanui and
Richard Chelimo took the top two spots in the 10,000 m. Osano's plan was to disrupt the running of the (highly favoured) Moroccan
Khalid Skah and though the tactic was successful for his teammates, Osano finished behind Skah in fourth. Two weeks later he ran the same distance at the
Memorial Van Damme, taking second behind his more experienced Kenyan rival
John Ngugi. He finally topped the podium in the event at the
All-Africa Games later that month, beating fellow Kenyan
William Koech by a narrow margin. Osano was dominant in Japan in the first half of 1992, going unbeaten with wins including the
Chiba International Cross Country and
Shizuoka International. He also had repeat wins at the Bolder Boulder and Bay to Breakers in the United States. His Olympic debut thwarted, Osano did not compete again in 1992. He returned to action in May 1993 and headed to the American road circuit, taking wins at the
Peachtree Road Race,
Boilermaker Road Race and
Bix 7 Road Race. Given his form, he was chosen for the Kenyan team at the
1993 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. This was his only
half marathon that year and he placed thirteenth in a time of 62:10 minutes, helping the team to victory with the help of fourth-placed
Lameck Aguta. This proved to be his final international appearance.
Later career and decline He began 1994 with a win at the
Fukuoka International Cross Country and then moved on to American road races, though he was less successful on this occasion and his best results were runner-up placings at the
Azalea Trail and
Cherry Blossom 10-Miler. He ran in Europe in the second half of the year, but again was one place short of the top at the
Dam tot Damloop,
Route du Vin Half Marathon and
Paris 20K. He made his
marathon debut at the
New York City Marathon in November, but his time of 2:18:43 hours was not impressive and left him in 14th place. He ran at shorter distances the following year and won the
Crim 10-Miler,
Breda Singelloop and the
Brussels 10K. A runner-up finish in 60:36 minutes at the Route du Vin race was a lifetime best for the half marathon event. Osano ran in no less than 27 road races in Europe and the United States in 1996. These took in wins at the
CPC Loop Den Haag,
Parelloop (a career best for the
10K run at 28:02 minutes), Bay to Breakers,
Tilburg Ten Miles and Route du Vin Half Marathon. He had a similarly planned 1997, but had less success, his sole win coming in Tilburg (though he was the
Falmouth Road Race runner-up). He made his second outing in the marathon in
Amsterdam that November, but his run of 2:23:31 hours was even slower than his last. His performances declined in the 1998 and 1999 season and he generally placed outside the top five of his races. Despite being only 29 years old, he retired from competition. ==International competitions==