Isaac Kimeli

Last updated

Isaac Kimeli
131208-024 - Isaac Kimeli 2013.jpg
Kimeli in 2013
Personal information
NationalityKenyan-Belgian
Born (1994-03-09) 9 March 1994 (age 31)
Uasin Gishu County, Kenya [1]
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight59 kg (130 lb) [1]
Spouse
Jelien Wouters
Sport
Country Belgium
Sport Athletics
Event(s)
 Middle-, Long-distance running
Coached byTim Moriau (–2024) [2]
Ivo Roelandt (2024-) [3]
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium
World Athletics Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2025 Tokyo 5000 m
European Running Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2025 Brussels 10000 m
European Indoor Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2021 Toruń 3000 m
European U23 Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2015 Tallinn 5000 m
European Cross Country Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Chia U23 men
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2013 Belgrade Junior men
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2018 Tilburg Senior men
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2019 Lisbon Senior team
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2024 Antalya Senior team
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2022 Turin Senior men

Isaac Kimeli (born 9 March 1994 [4] in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya) is a Kenyan born Belgian middle- and long-distance runner.

Contents

Kimeli is a 5000m silver medal winner at the World Athletics Championships. [5]

Kimeli won two Diamond League meetings, securing victory in the 5000 m at the 2019 Memorial Van Damme in Brussels (promotional event) with a then personal best of 13:13.02 [4] and six years later at the very rainy 2025 Athletissima meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland also in the 5000m. [6]

Training and personal life

When Kimeli was four years old, his mother migrated from their home county of Uasin Gishu in Kenya to Belgium to work as a nurse. Kimeli was left in the care of his grand-parents for ten years. At age 15 he was finally reunited with his mother in Belgium. It was there that his PE teachers encouraged him to join a track club. [7]

Career

In 2011, Kimeli competed in his first international competition at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Trabzon, Turkey. [7]

Two years later, Kimeli won his first international medal by winning a silver at the junior 2013 European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. [8] This was soon followed by a gold medal at the Under-23 2016 European Cross Country Championships in Chia, Italy, [9] and 2 silver medals (one individual, one team) and a bronze at the senior level 2018, [10] 2019 [11] and 2022 European Cross Country Championships [12] resp. He picked up another silver medal with the Belgium men's team at the 2024 European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey. [13]

On the track, Kimeli earned a silver in the 5000 metres at the 2015 European Athletics U23 Championships and in the 3000 metres at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships. [14]

Kimeli represented Belgium at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan resp. Paris, France, his best result a 8th place in the final of the men's 5000 metres in Paris. [15]

In September 2025 at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Kimeli became the first Belgian athlete since Gaston Reiff won the gold medal in the men's 5000 metres at the 1948 Summer Olympics to win a medal in a 5000m or 10000m event at a senior world athletics championship or Olympic Games. [5]

Achievements

Competition record

Representing Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventResult
2011 European Youth Olympic Festival Trabzon, Turkey9th1500 m 3:58.80
2012 European Cross Country Championships Szentendre, Hungary6thXC 6.025 km U20 19:00
2013 World Cross Country Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland30thXC 8 km U20 23:15
European Cross Country Championships Belgrade, Serbia2ndXC 6.025 km U20 17:51
2014 European Championships Zürich, Switzerland19th (h)1500 m 3:41.96
European Cross Country Championships Samokov, Bulgaria20thXC 7.782 km U23 26:20
2015 European U23 Championships Tallinn, Estonia2nd5000 m 13:54.33
European Cross Country Championships Hyères, France38thXC 8.087 km U23 24:27
2016 European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands9th1500 m 3:47.92
European Cross Country Championships Chia, Italy1stXC 7.97 km U23 22:48
2017 World Cross Country Championships Kampala, Uganda–XC 9.858 km DNF
2018 European Championships Berlin, Germany15th (h)1500 m 3:42.77
– (f)5000 m DQ
European Cross Country Championships Tilburg, Netherlands2ndXC 10.3 km 28:52
2019 European Team Championships First League Sandnes, Norway1st3000 m 8:09.09
World Championships Doha, Qatar18th (sf)1500 m 3:37.50
14th5000 m 13:44.29
European Cross Country Championships Lisbon, Portugal7thXC 10.3 km 30:46
2ndTeam 38 pts
2021 European Indoor Championships Toruń, Poland2nd3000 m 7:49.41
Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan32nd (h)5000 m 13:57.36
18th10,000 m 28:31.91
2022 World Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia– (f)3000 m DNS
World Championships Eugene, OR, United States10th10,000 m 27:43.50 SB
European Championships Munich, Germany11th5000 m 13:33.39
– (f)10,000 m DNF
European Cross Country Championships Turin, Italy3rdXC 9.572 km 29:45
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 13th10,000 m 28:20.77
2024 European Championships Rome, Italy 14th10,000 m 28:17.84
Olympic Games Paris, France 11th (h)5,000 m 13:19.25
8th (f) 13:18.10
19th (f)10,000 m 27:51.52
2025 European Running Championships Brussels-Leuven, Belgium 3rd10,000 m 27:58
World Championships Tokyo, Japan 2nd5000 m 12:58.78

National titles

Personal bests

Road

References

  1. 1 2 "Isaac Kimeli Palmares". Vlaamse Atletiek Liga (in Dutch). Vlaamse Atletiek Liga. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  2. ↑ "Isaac Kimeli liep naar 4e plaats op EK zonder coach: "Hij heeft me zelfs geen berichtje meer gestuurd"" [Isaac Kimeli finished 4th at the European Championships without a coach: "He didn't even send me a message anymore"]. Sporza (in Dutch). 9 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  3. ↑ "Stiekeme veldritfan Isaac Kimeli prikt doelen met nieuwe coach: "Hij bezit de heilige drievuldigheid"" [Secret cyclocross fan Isaac Kimeli sets goals with new coach: "He possesses the holy trinity"]. Sporza (in Dutch). 8 February 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Isaac KIMELI – Athlete Profile". World Athletics . Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Kimeli and Gressier win 5000m silver and bronze as Ingebrigtsen fades". European Athletics. 21 September 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  6. ↑ "A rainy but epic 50th edition". Diamond League. 20 August 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  7. 1 2 "From not speaking the language to competing for the national team at Tokyo 2020, Belgian runner Isaac Kimeli is aiming for gold". CNN. 20 July 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  8. ↑ "Third time lucky for Duarte at European Cross as Bezabeh regains title". World Athletics. 8 December 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  9. ↑ "Kimeli strikes gold as Italy claim team title". European Athletics Association. 11 December 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  10. ↑ "ISAAC KIMELI RUNS HIS WAY TO A EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP MEDAL". www.focusonbelgium.be. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  11. ↑ "Can retains title while Fsiha breaks through at European Cross in Lisbon". World Athletics. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  12. ↑ "Norwegian double as Ingebrigtsen and Grovdal retain European cross titles". World Athletics. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  13. ↑ "Ingebrigtsen wins third senior title in dominant style in Antalya 2024". European Athletics . 8 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  14. ↑ "Kimeli doet er nog een Belgische medaille bij op EK indoor: zilver op 3.000 meter" (in Dutch). Sporza. 7 March 2021. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  15. ↑ "Isaac Kimeli imponeert met 8e plaats op de 5.000 meter: "Ik had het zelf niet verwacht"" (in Dutch). Sporza. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
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