 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 September 1978 Kapsabet, Kenya |
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb; 11 st 0 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 10,000 metres: 27:48 Half Marathon: 1:00:05 Marathon: 2:07:14 |
Medal record | |
Robert "Mwafrika" Kipkoech Cheruiyot (born 26 September 1978 in Kapsabet, Kenya), sometimes known as Omar Ahmed, [1] is a Kenyan marathon runner and is the former record holder and four-time winner of the Boston Marathon.
Cheruiyot trained running while at school, but was unable to pay school fees and became a high school drop out. He ended up working at a barber shop in Mosoriot, but could hardly buy a meal with his low salary. Later he managed to access Moses Tanui's training camp in Kaptagat. Soon thereafter he made a breakthrough by winning a local 10K race in 2001 and headed for international competitions. [2]
Cheruiyot won the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon in March 2002. [3] His marathon debut, Milan Marathon in December 2002 saw three top finishers - Cheruiyot, Mike Rotich and Daniele Caimmi all posting the same time, 2:08:59 hours, but Cheruiyot emerged the winner. [4] Cheruiyot also won the Saint Silvester Road Race at the end of 2002, the first one of three. [5]
He won the Boston Marathon in 2003, 2006, 2007 and most recently in 2008. His 2006 Boston finishing time of 2:07:14 broke a Boston marathon course record set by Cosmas Ndeti that had lasted 12 years. His record was broken in the 2010 Boston Marathon by Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (unrelated) with a finishing time of 2:05:52.
He finished 4th in the 2005 New York Marathon and 2nd in the 2009 New York Marathon. He sought to win another title in Boston in 2005 as well but only finished 5th that year.
During his win at Chicago in 2006, Cheruiyot did not actually break the tape at the finish line. He slipped at the end and crossed the finish line as he slipped forward making him the winner. It was ruled that he did cross the finish line in doing so. He injured his head against the ground in the fall and had to be helped from the course in a wheelchair. He suffered a brain contusion and was released from the hospital after two days of observation. His time of 2:07:35 was five seconds faster than 2nd-place finisher Daniel Njenga. The win in Chicago left him at the top of the 2006 World Marathon Majors standings and won its grand prize. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
In 2007, Cheruiyot defended his title and won his third Boston Marathon with an official time of 2:14:13. Fellow Kenyans were second and third. It was the 15th time in the last 17 years that a Kenyan has won the Boston marathon but it was also the slowest Boston Marathon since 1977 as runners faced cold headwinds gusting up to 50 miles per hour. Cheruiyot also won $100,000 for the victory and gained a significant lead in the World Marathon Majors series. [11] [12] [13]
On 21 April 2008 he won his fourth Boston Marathon title with a time of 2:07:45, making him the first four-time winner in the men's open division since Bill Rodgers (fellow Kenyan Catherine Ndereba recorded her fourth win in 2005).
In April 2009, Cheruiyot started the Boston Marathon but did not finish and was sent to the hospital.
He is not to be confused with Robert Kiprotich Cheruiyot [14] or Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, [15] who are both also Kenyan marathon runners.
Moses Cheruiyot Mosop is a Kenyan middle and long distance athlete. He competed for Kenya at the 2004 Olympic Games and went on to take 10,000 metres bronze at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. He has also been successful in cross country running, having won the silver at the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships as well as team gold with Kenya in 2007 and 2009.
Cosmas Ndeti is a three-time winner of the Boston Marathon. He was the winner of the 1993, 1994, and 1995 races. He set the course record in 1994 with a time of 2:07:15, which was also the best marathon performance in 1994. That course record stood for 12 years until it was broken by one second when Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, a fellow Kenyan, won the 2006 race.
Felix Limo is a Kenyan former long-distance runner, who specialized in the marathon.
Deriba Merga Ejigu is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner. He mainly competes in the marathon. He finished fourth in that event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and went on to win the Boston Marathon the following year. His personal best for the distance is 2:06:38 hours.
Luke Kibet Bowen is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon. He won the marathon race at the 2007 World Championships.
James Kipsang Kwambai is a runner from Kenya, who specialises in marathons. He is a former Kenyan record holder in the event, with his personal best of 2:04:27 hours in 2009. At the time this made him the second fastest runner ever, behind Haile Gebrselassie.
Evans Kiprop Cheruiyot is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon. He started out as a half marathon runner, taking wins in Rotterdam and Nairobi, and won his debut marathon race in Milan in 2007. He won the Chicago Marathon in 2008, running a personal best of 2:06:25 hours.
Emmanuel Kipchirchir Mutai is a long distance runner from Kenya, who specialises in marathons. As of January 2024 his time of 2:03:13 is now the joint 13th fastest. When he ran that time it was the 2nd fastest time ever and is the 3rd fastest ever with a non carbon shoe.
Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich is a Kenyan professional athlete who specialises in long-distance running, competing in events ranging from 10 km to the marathon. He was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is the former world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:03:23, which he set at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. He has run under 2 hours 4 minutes for the marathon on four occasions.
Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. On 18 April 2011 at the Boston Marathon, Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever at the time in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds, though the time was not recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations as a world record since the Boston course does not meet the criteria to be eligible for the mark.
Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot is a Kenyan marathon runner. He is known as a "true marathoner" who rarely races other distances. He finished fifth or better in the first four international marathons he has entered.
Cheruiyot is a surname of the Kalenjin people of Kenya's Rift valley. Notable people with the surname include:
Wilson Kwambai Chebet is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. He has a marathon best of 2:05:27 hours.
Jonathan Kosgei Kipkorir is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road running competitions, including marathons. He is a two-time winner of the Venice Marathon, with consecutive wins in 2006 and 2007, and won the 2010 Beppu-Ōita Marathon. He also competes over the half marathon and has wins from the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon and Porto Half Marathon. His personal best in the marathon is 2:07:31 while he has run 1:00:19 for the half marathon distance.
The Roma–Ostia Half Marathon is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in early March in Rome, Italy. The course begins in the EUR district of the city and follows a direct southeasterly route to the finish point near the beaches of Ostia. It is Italy's most popular half marathon, with a record 12,000 entries and 9,485 finishers in 2011.
Agnes Jepkemboi Kiprop is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in marathon events. Initially a cross country specialist, she has focused on marathons since 2008 and has won races in Reims, Turin, Frankfurt, Prague and Hannover. She holds a personal best of 2:23:54 hours for the event.
Stephen "Baba" Kiogora is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who competed in marathon races. His personal best for the distance is 2:08:24 hours. He has had top three finishes at the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon and Frankfurt Marathon. The sole marathon win of his career came at the Las Vegas Marathon in 2005. He was the 1996 African champion over 10,000 metres.
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.
Abraham Kiprotich is a Kenyan-French long-distance runner. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the Men's marathon but did not finish.
Raymond Kipkoech is a Kenyan marathon runner who won the 2002 Berlin Marathon. He also won the 2004 Venice Marathon, the 2005 Xiamen International Marathon, and the 2011 Jerusalem Marathon.
