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| Full name | Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | December 12, 1974 (1974-12-12) (age 50) Kapsabet, Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 59 kg (130 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics/Track,Long-distance running | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | 800 m –Marathon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Washington State Cougars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Nike | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | James Li | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 2000 Sydney 1500 m,  Bronze2004 Athens 1500 m,  Silver2008 Beijing 1500 m, 12th 5000 m, 9th 2012 London 5000 m, 4th 2016 Rio de Janeiro 5000 m, 5th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World finals | 2001 Edmonton 1500 m, Silver2007 Osaka 1500 m,  Gold5000 m, Gold2009 Berlin 1500 m, Bronze5000 m, Silver2011 Daegu 5000 m, Silver2013 Moscow 5000 m, 6th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personalbests |
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Medal record
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Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat (born December 12, 1974) is a Kenyan-born American formermiddle andlong-distance runner.
Lagat was born inKapsabet,Kenya. Prior to hischange of domicile to the US, Lagat had an extensive competitive career representing his native country.
With his personal best of 3:26.34, Lagat is theKenyan record holder at 1500 m outdoors, and is the second fastest 1500 m runner of all time, behindHicham El Guerrouj. After becoming an American citizen, he broke American records in several events, including the1500 m,mile,3000 m, and5000 m.
Lagat is a five-time Olympian, having competed in the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 games, and is a thirteen-time medalist in World Championships and Olympics including five gold medals. At the age of 41, he finished 5th in the finals of the 5000 m at the Rio Olympics.[2]
Lagat's long-term coach isJames Li of theUniversity of Arizona, with whom he has worked for over a decade.[3] Today, Lagat is the headcross country coach and an assistanttrack and field coach at the University of Arizona.[4]
Lagat was born in Kaptel village, near Kapsabet town inNandi District of Kenya. He is aNandi, a sub-tribe of theKalenjin people.[5][6]
He graduated from the Kaptel High School in 1994, where he had started his athletic career. He joinedJomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology inNairobi 1996. Later in the same year, he moved toWashington State University where other Kenyan athletic greats such asHenry Rono andMichael Kosgei prospered.[citation needed]
In 1998, while at WSU, Lagat won three NCAA individual championships; indoor mile and 3000 m, as well as the 5000 m outdoors.
In 2000, Lagat graduated from Washington State University with a degree inmanagement information systems.[citation needed]
Lagat's siblings have also competed in athletics; his older sisterMary Chepkemboi won the 3000 m at the1984 African Championships in Athletics,[7] his younger sisterViola Cheptoo placed second in the2021 New York City Marathon.[8]
Lagat first represented his native Kenya at the2000 Summer Olympics inSydney, Australia.[9] In the 1500 m final, Morocco used team tactics to try to ensure a gold medal for heavy favoriteHicham El Guerrouj. In a very close finish,Noah Ngeny took gold, El Guerrouj won silver, and Lagat captured bronze. Lagat finished the year being ranked #3 in the world at 1500 m.
The next summer, Lagat won the silver medal, behind El Guerrouj, at the2001 World Championships in Athletics, and later that summer, at a meet in Brussels, Lagat set the Kenyan National Record and became the second fastest individual ever at 1500 m when he ran 3:26.34, finishing second in this race behind Hicham El Guerrouj (3:26.13), in an attempt to break El Guerrouj's world record of 3:26.00. Lagat finished the year ranked #2 in the world at 1500 m.
Lagat spent most of 2002 and 2003 chasing El Guerrouj. At the2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships, he earned the silver medal at 1500 m, this time behindDriss Maazouzi of France. Lagat withdrew from the 2003 world outdoor championships after a blood test showed traces of EPO in his system. His B sample test came back negative, clearing him of any charges. He was ranked 2nd and 4th in the world at 1500 m in 2002 and 2003 respectively.
In the 3000 m at the2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships Lagat won his first international gold medal. Lagat was clearly overjoyed at his comeback since 2003. Throughout the spring he competed fiercely and beat his rival El Guerrouj inZürich with a world leading time at 1500 m of 3:27.40. At the2004 Summer Olympics Lagat seemed poised to once again defeat El Guerrouj. The final saw Lagat and El Guerrouj battling down the final 100 m, swapping the lead multiple times. El Guerrouj prevailed, with Lagat close behind, earning the silver medal, running the final lap in under 52 seconds. He was, however, ranked #1 in the world at 1500 m for the year.
In March 2005, Lagat announced that he had become anaturalized citizen of theUnited States on May 7, 2004. Lagat did compete for his homeland Kenya in the2004 Summer Olympics, winning silver in the 1500 m. Even though Kenya did not allowdual citizenship at the time, he was allowed to keep his medal. Lagat became a competitor for the United States but was temporarily ineligible to compete in international championship events, missing theIAAF World Championships inHelsinki.
The U.S. does allow dual citizenship and consequently races run by Lagat after May 7, 2004, could have been ratified as American records, sinceUSATF rules only state that an athlete has to be a U.S. citizen competing in a sanctioned competition to be eligible to set a national record. His 3:27.40 win in the 1500 meters, on August 6, 2004, in Zürich, was ratified as an American record in 2018, but not an area record by the NACAC.[10]
Nevertheless, Lagat owns three American records from races he had run in 2005 that were ratified by USATF. His first American records came indoors, with a 3:49.89 mile atFayetteville, Arkansas, on February 11, 2005, during which his 1500 meters split time of 3:33.34 also established another new U.S. record, en route to a win in the event. The performance replaced records bySteve Scott, who set the previous American indoor mile record of 3:51.8 in 1981, and the previous American 1500 meter indoor record held byJeff Atkinson, who ran 3:38.12 in 1989. Lagat's winning time of 3:29.40 atRieti,Italy, on August 28, 2005, in the outdoor 1500 meters was ratified as his third new American record, improving upon the old record of 3:29.77, set bySydney Maree in 1985.
At the2007 World Championships inOsaka, Lagat surpassed all his previous achievements by becoming the first athlete to become world champion in both the 1,500 m and 5,000 m at the same IAAF World Outdoor Championships. Similar feats were accomplished by Hicham El Guerrouj at the 2004 Olympics andPaavo Nurmi at the 1924 Olympics.[11][12]
In 2008, Lagat won both 1500 m[13][14] and 5000 m[15] runs at the US Olympic Trials inEugene, Oregon, qualifying himself to compete withTeam USA at the2008 Summer Olympics inBeijing, China.[16] Hopes were high that his success in both these events would continue at the Olympics.[17][18] However, Lagat failed to advance beyond the semi-finals in the 1500 m run.[19][20][21] He was more successful in the 5000 m run, winning his semi-final heat to advance,[22][23] but ultimately did not medal, running to ninth-place finish in the finals.[24]
Lagat had concealed the fact that he was running with an injuredAchilles tendon, a problem which hampered his training and contributed to his poor showing at the Olympics. He stated that his placings at the 2008 Beijing Games were "the biggest disappointment in my athletics career". The following season, he began with high altitude training inFlagstaff, Arizona.[25] After tyingEamonn Coghlan's record of seven wins in theWanamaker Mile at the 2009Millrose Games in New York, Lagat broke Coghlan's record with an 8th win at Millrose in 2010.[26] As the reigning world champion in the 1500 and 5000 meters, he automatically received qualification in the events at the2009 World Championships in Athletics and set his sights on retaining his titles. Despite being much older than some of his competitors, Lagat's desire to win had not faded and he said "I am more motivated than ever to go to the podium in Berlin".[25] Lagat ultimately won the bronze medal in the 1500 m and the silver medal in the 5000 m.
Lagat set a new American record in his debut of the indoor 5000 meters at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on February 6, 2010, with a time of 13:11.50. This beat previous record holderGalen Rupp who had set the record at 13:18.12 in 2009.[27] On June 4, 2010, Lagat broke the American Record for 5000 m with 12:54.12 on June 4, 2010, at theBislett Games inOslo.[28] Lagat set another area record at theRieti IAAF Grand Prix in August: chasing downTariku Bekele in the 3000 m. Lagat took second place with an American record of 7:29.00 – his first sub-7:30 minute time.
Lagat broke his own 5000 m American record in July at the Monaco Diamond League meet by running 12:53.60 to finish a close second behindMo Farah who set the British 5000 m record in this race in a time of 12:53.11.[29][30][31] The2011 World Championships in Athletics, the 5000 m final came down to a sprint finish and Lagat was beaten in the last straight byMo Farah, leaving Lagat with his second consecutive silver medal at the world event.
The 2012Millrose Games, was held for the first time at theArmory Track & Field Center and Lagat ran an American indoor record over 5000 m with a time of 13:07.15 minutes.[32] At the2012 Olympics in London, Lagat finished fourth in the 5000 m race, crossing the line 1.33 seconds behind the leader,Mo Farah, after being tripped up when he was going into his kick byIsiah Kiplangat Koech.[33] Lagat was runner-up behindMatthew Centrowitz Jr. at the Fifth Avenue Mile that year.[34][35]Lagat earned his 4thUSATF Indoor 3000 meters title on February 22, 2014[36][37] On June 27, Lagat, at age 39, won his seventh USA men's 5,000 title.[38]
He made his debut at the 10,000 m on 1 May 2016 and came in first. His winning time of 27:49 seconds made an improvement for the world record in the Masters A40 category by 51 seconds.[39][40][41]On July 9, Lagat won the 5000 meters at the2016 United States Olympic Trials, qualifying him for his fifth Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He entered the last lap in sixth place more than two and a half seconds behind race leaderGalen Rupp. At age 41, his final lap was 52.82, the fastest of the field and more than a second faster than any in the 1500 meter final. Joining Lagat on the team were Somali bornHassan Mead and Kenyan bornPaul Chelimo, making for an entirely foreign born delegation. Lagat also became the oldest runner at the Summer Olympics to represent the United States.[42] On August 20, 2016, Lagat initially claimed the 6th-place finish in the 5000 meters at the Olympics. He was moved to bronze after three runners were disqualified, but was moved back to 5th after 2 of the 3 were reinstated.[43] He outsprinted Andrew Butchart of Great Britain, who is 17 years his junior, by more than a second.
Lagat ran his final race as a professional on September 3, 2016, at the ISTAF meet in Berlin where he came in second place in the 3,000 meters.[44]
In May 2017 Lagat served as a pacer for Nike'sBreaking2 attempt at achieving a sub-2-hour marathon time. Lagat also agreed to run as a pacer at a similar event, the Ineos 1:59 Challenge, in October 2019.[45]
On September 10, 2017, Lagat finished eighth in the 2017Great North Run half marathon in 1:03:02.[46]
Lagat participated on his first marathon in New York City Marathon on 4 Nov, 2018[47] finishing 18th with a time of 2:17:20.[48] He had a lead to the second-placed finisher in his age group of 11:15 minutes.[49]
On 29 February 2020, Lagat placed 18th with a time of 2:14:23 in the Atlanta Olympic Trials Marathon. In preparation he had a 30 km training run with the world record holder Eliud Kipchoge in Kenya.[50][51]
Lagat lives inTucson, Arizona andTübingen, Germany with his wife Gladys Tom (a Canadian of Chinese descent),[52] whom he met while they both attendedWashington State University,[53][54] and their son Miika Kimutai (born in 2006) and daughter Gianna (born 2008).[55] In 2023, Lagat was named byCarnegie Corporation of New York as an honoree of theGreat Immigrants Awards.[56] Lagat isCatholic.[57]
Lagat is the current headcross country coach and an assistanttrack and field coach at the University of Arizona. During the track and field season, he coaches distance.[4]
1Representing Africa
2Representing the Americas
| Distance | Mark | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 metres | 3:26.34NR | August 24, 2001 | Brussels | Lagat's 1500 m PB is the Kenyan National Record. After becoming an American citizen, Lagat set an American record in the 1500 m of 3:29.30. |
| Mile | 3:47.28 | June 29, 2001 | Rome | |
| Mile (indoor) | 3:49.89 | February 14, 2008 | Boston | |
| 3000 metres | 7:29.00AR | August 28, 2010 | Rieti | Video onYouTube |
| Two miles (indoor) | 8:09.49 | February 16, 2013 | New York | This was the North American AR until broken byGalen Rupp in January 2014 |
| 5000 metres | 12:53.60AR | July 22, 2011 | Monaco | |
| 10000 metres | 27:49.36 | May 1, 2016 | Palo Alto | This is the Masters A40 WR |
| Half marathon | 1:02:00 | January 14, 2018 | Houston | This is the Masters A40 American record[58] |
| Marathon | 2:12:10 | July 6, 2019 | Queensland, Australia | Likely to become Masters A40 American record[59] |
| Season | Indoor | Outdoor |
|---|---|---|
| Event | Time | Time |
| 1500 m | 3:33.34 | 3:29.30 (AR) or 3:27.40 (NR) |
| Mile | 3:49.89 | |
| 3000 m | 7:29.00 | |
| 5000 m | 12:53.60 |
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African Champions in men's1500 metres | |
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