Seven unforgettable high Kenyan athletes in 2024

  1. Ruth Chepnegetich

The talk about when the primary human being would run a marathon in underneath two hours started when the lads had been already a couple of minutes from doing it. The late Kelvin Kiptum, who holds the world document at 2:00:35, was the closest to attaining that in an eligible marathon course. Eliud Kipchoge has already managed a 1:59:40, though not within the superb marathon race setup.

Ruth Chepngetich makes historical past, Financial institution of America Chicago Marathon
October 13, 2014
Chicago, Illinois, USA, picture by Financial institution of America Chicago Marathon / Kevin Morris

The following appreciable debate about when the primary feminine runner would break the sub-2 hours and 10 minutes barrier would most likely begin some years from now.

Nevertheless, on the streets of Chicago on October thirteenth, Chepngetich caught all the largest firms on the planet off-guard. They could have been ready for the suitable time to strive their Ineos 159 second.

In a race the place she crossed the primary half of the race within the quickest time ever run by a lady on US soil for that distance and fifth quickest time ever of 1:04:16, Chepngetich proceeded to run an unbelievable world document of two:09:56 to win the Financial institution of America Chicago Marathon.

  1. Beatrice Chebet

In a single yr, Chebet achieved what generally is a lifetime achievement for any world famous person. She received two Olympic Gold medals in Paris, broke a world document, and received two world titles: the World Cross Nation and World Street Operating titles.

Beatrice Chebet wins NIKE Pre 10,000m Womens in 28:54.14, picture by Brian Eder for RunBlogRun

Chebet’s impeccable 10,000m season started in Eugene when she turned the primary girl to cowl 25 laps of the monitor inside 29 minutes. In her third 10,000m race, the Kenyan clocked 28:54.14 to obliterate Letesenbet Gidey’s earlier world document of 29:01.03.

  1. Agnes Ngetich

On January 14th, Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich lowered the ladies’s 10K World Report to twenty-eight:46 in Valencia. The earlier world document was 29:14, set by Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw in February 2022. Ngetich turned the primary girl to run 10km in underneath 29 minutes.

World document 10k by Agnes Ngetich, courtesy of World Athletics

On her technique to the 10K world document, Ngetich crossed the 5K in 14:13, setting a brand new world document for the shorter distance as effectively.

Ngetich additionally ran a world-leading time and a Kenyan nationwide document of 1:03:04 for the half marathon on October twenty seventh in Valencia.

  1. Religion Kipyegon

Kipyegon accomplished an unprecedented feat on the Paris Olympics, profitable three consecutive Olympic gold medals within the girls’s 1500m race.

Religion Kipyegon, W1,500m, ATHLOS winner, picture by ATHLOS Assembly

On the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Kipyegon received her first Olympic gold medal within the 1500m. She turned the third athlete on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to retain an Olympic 1500m title. In attaining the feat on the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kipyegon set a brand new Olympic document of three:51.29 whereas profitable her third consecutive gold medal.

  1. Emmanuel Wanyonyi

If there was one race that appeared best all through this yr, it was the lads’s 800m. Wanyonyi’s journey, from almost lacking the finals on the Kenyan trials to profitable a gold medal on the Paris Olympics, will need to have been the sweetest victory.

Wanyonyi set three private finest occasions to display the competitors degree this yr. He received the Kenyan Trials in 1:41.70. He set one other PB by ending second on the Paris Diamond League in 1:41.58. He then received the Olympic gold in 1:41.19.

Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Marco Arop battle over the Nike Pre 800m, picture by Brian Eder for RunBlogRun

Behind him, 2023 World champion Marco Arop of Canada set a North American document of 1:41.20 to take silver. Djamel earned bronze, whereas Bryce Hoppel was fourth in a US document of 1:41.67.

  1. Mary Moraa

Moraa had an ideal yr, profitable the Kenyan Olympic Trials, gold within the 400 m on the African Video games, the Diamond League closing within the 800m, and a bronze medal on the Olympic Video games in Paris.

Mary Moraa wins the Ladies’s 800m Diamond League Remaining with a time of 1:56.56 at Allianz Memorial Van Damme, the Wanda Diamond League Remaining in Brussels on 13 September 2024, picture by Diamond League AG

Moraa made headlines shortly after her bronze medal win on the Paris Olympics in 2023, breaking the world document for the ladies’s 600 meters at ISTAF in Germany. Her time was 14 hundredths of a second quicker than the earlier document held by Caster Semenya, showcasing her distinctive velocity and expertise in middle-distance working.

  1. Sebastian Sawe

After profitable the World Street Operating gold medal in Riga for the half marathon, Sawe closed his spectacular yr on a excessive word after a spectacular run on the Valencia Marathon.

Sebastian Sawe received RIGA 2023 WA Street Champs HM, what is going to he do in Valencia? picture by Adam Nurkiewicz

On December 1st, in his marathon debut, Sawe ran the fifth quickest time ever for the marathon distance, registering 2:02:05 for the historic win.

  • Since 2013, Justin Lagat has written for RunBlogRun. His weekly column known as A view from Kenya. Justin writes in regards to the world of Kenyan athletics on a weekly foundation and through championships, offers us further insights into the game.

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