Ismael Kirui

Last updated
Ismael Kirui
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Representing Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1993 Stuttgart 5,000 m
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1995 Gothenburg 5,000 m
World Junior Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1990 Plovdiv 10,000 m

Ismael Kirui (born 20 February 1975 in Kapcherop, Marakwet District) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner who won gold medals over 5000 metres at the 1993 and 1995 World Championships in Athletics.

His victory in Stuttgart in 1993 was especially impressive as he was only aged eighteen and led the race from the front for most of the second half. On the final straight he shrugged off an attack from Haile Gebrselassie. His winning time of 13:02.75 minutes was a new World Championships record. He became the youngest world champion, aged 18 years 177 days. That same year he broke the World junior record in 5000 metres in Zurich by running 13:06.50. [1]

His gold medal in 1995 was won under very different circumstances as the final was run at a slow pace and decided in a sprint.

Ismael Kirui is the younger brother of Richard Chelimo. Other relatives include brother William "Willy" Kirui, half-sister Catherine Kirui and cousins Moses Kiptanui and William Mutwol. He is married to Rose Cheruiyot. [2] He and Cheruiyot completed an unusual married couple's double when they won the men's and women's races, respectively, at the Belfast International Cross Country in 1995.

An accomplished road race runner, Kirui won three consecutive Bay to Breakers 12K titles, from 1993 to 1995. [3] His first victory in 33:42 set a world road record in that event.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hicham El Guerrouj</span> Moroccan middle-distance runner

Hicham El Guerrouj is a retired Moroccan middle-distance runner. El Guerrouj is the current world record holder for the 1500 metres and mile events, and the former world record holder in the 2000 metres. He is the only man since Paavo Nurmi to win a gold medal in both the 1500 m and 5000 metres at the same Olympic Games.

Richard Chelimo was a Kenyan long-distance runner, and a world record holder over 10,000 metres. However, he is best known as the silver medallist in the controversial 10,000m at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He was also a world junior record holder in the 10,000m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Limo</span> Kenyan track and field athlete

Benjamin Kipkoech Limo is a Kenyan former middle- and long-distance runner. His races ranged distances from 1500 m to 10,000 m, but Limo mainly competed in 5000 metres, where he has won international medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5000 metres</span> Long-distance track running event

The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to 3 miles 188 yards or 16,404 feet 2 inches. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over 12+12 laps of a standard track. The same distance in road running is called a 5K run; referring to the distance in metres rather than kilometres serves to disambiguate the two events. The 5000 m has been present on the Olympic programme since 1912 for men and since 1996 for women. Prior to 1996, women had competed in an Olympic 3000 metres race since 1984. The 5000 m has been held at each of the World Championships in Athletics in men's competition and since 1995 in women's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priscah Jepleting Cherono</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Priscah Jepleting Cherono, née Ngetich is a Kenyan professional runner who specialises in the 5000 metres and cross-country running. She represented Kenya in the 5000 m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She is the Kenyan record holder over the two miles distance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin Soi</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Edwin Cheruiyot Soi is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in the 3000 and 5000 metres. He is a two-time Olympian for Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivian Cheruiyot</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She represented Kenya at the Summer Olympics in 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2016, winning the silver medal in the 5,000 metres and bronze in the 10,000 metres at the 2012 London Olympics as well as gold in the 5,000 m and silver in the 10,000 m at the 2016 Rio Olympics, setting a new Olympic record in the former. Cheruiyot won the silver medal in the 5,000 m at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and became the world champion in the event at the 2009 edition, repeating this achievement in 2011, when she also won the 10,000 m. She added gold for the latter event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics. After taking a silver in the 3,000 metres at the 2010 World Indoor Championships, Cheruiyot won a number of outdoor 5,000 m titles that year, becoming Commonwealth Games, African and Continental Cup champion, as well as winning the Diamond League title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvia Jebiwot Kibet</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Sylvia Jebiwott Kibet is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She was the silver medallist in the 5000 metres at the World Championships in Athletics in both 2009 and 2011. She also won medals over the distance at the 2006 African Championships in Athletics, the 2007 All-Africa Games and 2010 Commonwealth Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linet Masai</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Linet Chepkwemoi Masai is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running events. She won her first world title in the 10,000 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.

Rose Jelagat Cheruiyot is a runner from Kenya. She competed in the 5000 metres at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 2000 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samson Kimobwa</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Samson Kimobwa was a runner from Kenya. He set a 10000 metres world record of 27:30.5 on 30 June 1977 in Helsinki, Finland. The record was broken the following year by his compatriot Henry Rono. Before Kimobwa, the record was held by David Bedford of Great Britain.

John Ngugi Kamau, is a former Kenyan long-distance runner, often called one of the greatest cross country runners of all time and winner of the 5000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics, in Seoul South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hellen Obiri</span> Kenyan middle-distance runner

Hellen Onsando Obiri is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. She is the only woman to have won world titles in indoor track, outdoor track and cross country. Obiri is a two-time Olympic 5,000 metres silver medallist from the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she also placed fourth over the 10,000 metres. She is a two-time world champion after winning the 5,000 m in 2017 and again in 2019, when she set a new championship record. Obiri also took world bronze for the 1,500 metres in 2013 and silver in the 10,000 m in 2022. She won the 3,000 metres race at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, claimed silver in 2014, and placed fourth in 2018. She is the 2019 World Cross Country champion. Obiri triumphed in the 2023 Boston Marathon, her second marathon race. She places fifth in the half marathon on the world all-time list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Cheruiyot Kirui</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Peter Cheruiyot Kirui is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes over 10,000 metres on the track and in road running competitions. He was the 2011 Kenyan champion over 10,000 m and came sixth at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. He has acted as a pacemaker for major marathons and has a marathon best of 2:06:31 hours. His best for the half marathon is 59:22 minutes.

Simon Chemoiywo is a Kenyan former long-distance runner. He competed in track, cross country and road running. At the IAAF World Cross Country Championships he twice represented Kenya: in 1994 he was the runner-up and team champion, then helped retain the team title for Kenya at the 1995 race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Track and field at the 1995 Military World Games</span> International athletics championship event

At the 1995 Military World Games, the track and field events were held at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy in September 1995. A total of thirty events were contested, of which 22 by male and 8 by female athletes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5000 metres at the World Athletics Championships</span> Event at the world championships in athletics

The 5000 metres at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by men since the inaugural edition in 1983 and by women since 1995. Women competed over 3000 metres from 1980 to 1993, in line with championship standards of the time. It is the shortest long-distance running event at the competition, the 10,000 metres and marathon being the other two such events on the programme. It is the second most prestigious title in the discipline after the 5000 metres at the Olympics. The competition format typically has a two-race heats stage that leads directly to a final between fifteen athletes.

Thomas Osano is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who competed across track, road, and cross country running disciplines. His greatest individual honour was a 10,000 metres gold medal at the 1991 All-Africa Games. He also shared in a team gold medal with Kenya at the 1993 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reynold Cheruiyot</span> Kenyan athlete

Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot is a Kenyan runner who competes in track and field and cross-country. He holds the current world junior record in the mile run.

Ishmael Rokitto Kipkurui, also spelled Ishmael Kipkirui, Ishmael Kirui, or Ismael Kipkurui, is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. He was the individual winner of the 2023 World Cross Country Championships U20 race, leading his Kenyan team to a gold medal finish. He is also the Kenyan under-20 record-holder in the two miles run after his runner-up performance to Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the 2023 Meeting de Paris.

References

  1. "Athletics photographic encyclopedia, athlete, olympic games, world championship, european championship & hero images by sporting-heroes.net". www.sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  2. World Indoor Championships 1997 Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Kenyan pair wins Bay to Breakers". Lodi News-Sentinel . 22 May 1995. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Men's 5,000 m Best Year Performance
1993
Succeeded by