Alex Masai

Last updated

Alex Masai
Personal information
Born5 February 1997 (27 years, 180 days old) [1] [2]
Home town Kitale, Kenya and Eldoret, Kenya [3] [4] [5]
Education
Height171 cm (5 ft 7 in) [2]
Weight57 kg (126 lb) [2]
Sport
Country Flag of the United States.svg   United States
Sport Sport of athletics
Event(s) 5000 metres
10000 metres
College team
Club HOKA One One [2]
Achievements and titles
National finals
Personal bests
Updated on July 2024

Alex Chesiro Masai (born 5 February 1997) is a Kenyan long-distance runner based in the United States and specializing in the 5000 metres. He is the brother of Olympians Moses Masai and Linet Masai, and he finished 6th at the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 5000 m.

Contents

Career

Masai initially ran for Mang'u High School in Kenya, winning district cross country running championships in 2012 and 2013. [4] He was recruited to the Monroe Mustangs track and field program where he finished 8th at the 2017 NJCAA national cross country championships. In 2018, Masai transferred to join the Hofstra Pride track and field team in the NCAA Division I. [4]

In 2020, Masai qualified for the 2020 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships with a 13:28 5000 metres clocking, but the championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [4] Running unattached that fall, Masai set personal bests in the mile and 10,000 m. [6] The following year, Masai qualified for the 2021 NCAA outdoor championships in two events, finishing 10th and 6th in the 5000 m and 10,000 metres respectively. [2] Masai finished 32nd at the 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships individually. [2] Masai credited his success to switching between altitude training in Eldoret and sea-level training in Hempstead, New York. [7]

In August 2021, Masai signed with the HOKA One One Northern Arizona Elite professional running group. [3] In 2024, he set a personal best of 13:18.16 for 5000 m indoors. [2]

Personal life

Masai is from Kitale, Kenya and Eldoret, Kenya. [3] He attended Mang'u High School in Thika, Kenya where he played handball and ran track, often training with his sister. [6] Masai originally attended Moi University for college, without participating in sports. After he moved to the U.S., he majored in criminal justice at Monroe College before transferring to Hofstra University. [4] [5]

His brother is Moses Masai, who finished 4th in the 2008 Olympic 10K and 12th in the 2012 Olympic 10K. [4] His older sister Linet Masai also runs professionally and has represented Kenya at the Olympics. [7] He has a second sister, Maggie Masai, who is a 2:22 marathon runner. [3]

Statistics

Personal best progression

5000m progression
#MarkPl.CompetitionVenueDateRef.
114:06.61Gold medal icon.svgBison Outdoor Classic Lewisburg, PA 14 Apr 2018 [8]
214:00.07Bronze medal icon.svg(Round 1)Penn Relays Philadelphia, PA 25 Apr 2018 [9]
313:53.65Gold medal icon.svgBoston University Last Chance Qualifier Boston, MA 23 Feb 2019 [10]
413:28.55Bronze medal icon.svg(Round B)Boston University Last Chance Invitational Boston, MA 27 Feb 2020 [11]
513:24.6810thNCAA Championships Eugene, OR 10 Jun 2021 [12]
613:22.5311th (Round 2)Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational Boston, MA 11 Feb 2022 [13]
713:18.966thBoston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational Boston, MA 9 Feb 2024 [14]

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References

  1. Alex Masai at World Athletics OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Alex Masai at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Alex Masai - NAZ Elite". NAZ Elite. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Alex Masai: Men's Cross Country / Track". Hofstra Pride. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Alex Masai: Cross Country". Monroe Mustangs. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Alex Masai's Push To The Front Built On Family Encouragement". DyeStat . Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Alex Masai running towards Olympic dreams". The Hofstra Chronicle. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  8. "Athletics recap for meeting #12905773" . Tilastopaja .
  9. "Athletics recap for meeting #12906328" . Tilastopaja .
  10. "Athletics recap for meeting #12918684" . Tilastopaja .
  11. "Athletics recap for meeting #12958631" . Tilastopaja .
  12. "Athletics recap for meeting #12988658" . Tilastopaja .
  13. "Athletics recap for meeting #13002547" . Tilastopaja .
  14. "Athletics recap for meeting #13055052" . Tilastopaja .