 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Kenyan |
| Born | (1985-12-19)19 December 1985 (age 39) Kapsowar,Marakwet District, Kenya |
| Education | Texas Tech |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Position | Runner |
Sally Jepkosgei Kipyego (born 19 December 1985) is a Kenyan-born Americanlong- andmiddle-distance runner. She was the silver medalist in the10,000 metres at the2011 World Championships in Athletics and the silver medalist in the same race at the2012 Summer Olympics in London. She has a personal record of 30:38.35 minutes for that event and her5000 metres best of 14:30.42 minutes makes her the second fastest Kenyan woman for the distance.
She competed as part of theTexas Tech Red Raiders cross country and track and field teams under coachWes Kittley. She became the first Kenyan woman to win anNCAA cross country individual championship, the first woman to win three consecutiveNCAADivision I Cross Country titles, and the first runner to win three consecutiveBig 12 Conference cross country titles. She also won three straight NCAA Indoor titles over 5000 m and was a two-time NCAA Outdoor champion. She is tied withSuzy Favor-Hamilton for the most individual championships in NCAA history.[1] Kipyego won more individual NCAA championships in 2 years than any other runner in NCAA history. Academically, Kipyego earned a nursing degree. She runs professionally on the International Association of Athletics Federations' ("IAAF")World Athletics Tour. She is sponsored byNike, Inc.[2]
Born inKapsowar,Marakwet District, Kipyego attended Kaptiony Primary School. The school was demolished and, in January 2013, the newly constructed Shoe4Africa Sally Kipyego School replaced it. Kipyego's running career started in 2000 when she was 14. The following year, she represented Kenya as a junior at theIAAF World Cross Country Championships, finishing eighth. However, a stress fracture kept her off both the 2002 and 2003 teams before entering college in the United States.[3]
Sally Kipyego is the firstTexas Tech Big 12 XC Champ & only female to ever win 3Big 12 Conference cross country titles (06, 07, 08).[4]
After coming to the United States, Kipyego continued her running career as part of the South Plains College Texans track and cross country team for three semesters before joining theTexas Tech Red Raiders cross country and track and field teams, becoming the first Kenyan woman to win anNCAA cross country individual championship.[5] In December 2006, she was chosen as the top female college cross-country athlete in the United States. This honour made her the recipient of the 2007Honda Sports Award and gave her an automatic nomination for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year award.[6] Kipyego is also one of only seven women in NCAA history to win four individual track titles during a single season.[7]
In November Kipyego won her second consecutive cross country national championship. In doing so, she set a newcourse record, beating the previous one by 18 seconds.[8]
As the nation's top collegiate female cross country runner, Kipyego was selected to receive the 2008Honda Sports Award.[9]
On 14 March 2008, Kipyego won her sixth national title at the 2008NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in the 5000 m, again with a world-leading time.[10] The US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Kipyego the USTFCCCA Division I Indoor Track & Field Women's Track Athlete of the Year for 2008.[11] Later, the association also awarded Kipyego the Women's Athlete of the Year honour for the 2008 outdoor season as well.[12]
On 5 May 2008, Kipyego set the NCAA 10,000-meter record in a time of 31:25.45 at the Stanford invitational (Palo Alto, CA), besting the previous record held byLisa Koll by over 45 seconds. The record stood for almost two years, when it was taken back by Koll on the very same track in 2010.
On 13 June 2008, Kipyego won her seventh national title at the 2008NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 5000 m, with an NCAA meet record time.[13] She followed that performance with a second-place finish in the 1500 m on 14 June 2008.[14] On 1 November 2008, Kipyego won theBig 12 Cross Country Championships with a time of 19:45, more than 50 seconds faster than second-place teammateLillian Badaru. Her victory helped the Texas Tech women win their first conference championship.[15] Kipyego became the first runner since the creation of the conference to win three consecutive conference titles.[16]
In 2009, Kipyego was awarded her third consecutiveHonda Sports Award.[17] She was the first athlete to be honoured three times with the program's cross-country award.[18][19] Kipyego finished her college career at the 2009 Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. She earned her ninth individual title by winning the 5000 meter.[20] This tied her withWisconsin'sSuzy Favor-Hamilton for the most NCAA individual championships. It took Kipyego only two and a half years to accomplish what Favor-Hamilton did in four.[21] In her final collegiate race, the mile, three-tenths of a second separated Kipyego from winnerSarah Bowman of theUniversity of Tennessee.[22]
Kipyego began her professional career in the 2010 season. She signed up as a member of theOregon Track Club.[23] That year she came third in theMillrose Games mile and second at theBoston Indoor Games with a personal best of 14:52.67 minutes. She won her first outdoor 5000 m of the season at theMt. SAC Relays and was in the top four of the event at the New York, Eugene and London legs of the2010 IAAF Diamond League, before coming fifth in the final at theMemorial Van Damme with a new best of 14:38.64 minutes.[24]
At the start of 2011 she won the 3000 m at the Boston Indoor meet, then set an outdoor1500 metres best of 4:06.23 minutes at theOregon Relays in April. She bettered her 10,000 m time at thePayton Jordan Invitational by winning in 30:38.35. She gained selection for the Kenyan team in that event by coming second at the Kenyan trials. On the2011 IAAF Diamond League she competed over 5000 m: she was fourth at thePrefontaine Classic, but managed second place at theDN Galan andWeltklasse Zürich meetings (improving her best to 14:30.42 minutes at the latter).[24] She established herself internationally at the2011 World Championships in Athletics, where she was thesilver medallist in the 10,000 m, finishing second to her compatriotVivian Cheruiyot.[25] Kipyego ended her year by competing in American road competitions, taking second at theFifth Avenue Mile and winning theManchester Road Race for a second year running.[24]
In April 2012, Kipyego won the 5000 m at the Payton Jordan Invitational with a time of 14:43:11. A 3000 m best of 8:35.89 minutes came at the Prefontaine Classic, where she was second place. She guaranteed Olympic participation by coming third at the Kenyan 10,000 m trial event in Nairobi.[26] She competed in both the5000 m and the10000 m, winning the silver medal in the 10000 m and narrowly missing out on a medal in the 5000 m, finishing less than a second behind bronze medalistTirunesh Dibaba.[27][28][29]
In September 2012, MRI and CT-Scans would reveal a broken Calcaneus bone in her left heel; But in April 2013, just as the looming track season became visible on the horizon, Kipyego's Calcaneus bone broke again.[30]
In March 2014, Sally Kipyego won and set the New York City half marathon women's record[31][32] in 1:08:31. In May 2014, Kipyego won the women's 10,000m in 30:42.26 in the 2014Payton Jordan Invitational. Kipyego's race is the fastest 10,000 meters in the world as of 10 July 2014.[33] On 18 July, Kipyego ran 14:37.18[34] at theDiamond LeagueMonaco.
Sally Kipyego won theMillrose Games women's 3000m in 8:41.72, setting a meet record, and finishing 1.47 seconds ahead of compatriotBetsy Saina.[35]
Competing in the 5,000 meters at thePayton Jordan Invitational on 2 May 2015, she ran aIAAF World Championships in Athletics world andAthletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics"A" standard qualifying time of 14:57.44[36] and was a winner just ahead of compatriotBetsy Saina.[37][38]
Sally Kipyego placed 5th in 31:44.42 at2015 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 10,000 metres.
On Nov. 1, Kipyego ran in her first marathon: theTCS New York City Marathon.[39] TheNYC Marathon weather forecast a high of 65 on race day, with a 50 percent chance of rain and 9 mph winds. Kipyego ran with the rest of the elites until mile 23, where she dropped out.[40][41][42]
Sally Kipyego ran 14:43.98 at 2016Prefontaine Classic 5000 meters inEugene, Oregon (USA) on May 27, 2016.[43] On June 30, 2016, Kipyego ran 32:37.11 for 10,000 meters at2016 Athletics Kenya Olympic Trials inEldoret at 2200 m (7,217 ft 10 in) elevation. Kipyego won aRock 'n' Roll San Jose Half Marathon in 1:09:53 inSan Jose, California.[44][45] Runner-up Sally Kipyego (2:28:01) at 2016New York City Marathon behind winnerMary Keitany (2:24:26) and ahead ofMolly Huddle who placed third in 2:28:13.[46]
InAtlanta, Georgia, at theU.S. Woman's Olympic Trials Marathon on February 29, 2020, Sally Kipyego took third place in 2:28:52.[47] She earned a spot on theUS Olympic Team and won $55,000.[48]
Kipyego was considered a top contender going into theOlympic Marathon run inSapporo,Japan, Aug. 7, 2021. She ran with the front runners alongside teammateMolly Seidel and the top Kenyans (Peres Jepchirchir andBrigid Kosgei) through the first half of the race. In the hot and humid conditions, Kipyego's pace wasn't strong enough to keep with the pack. She moved back and finished 17th in 2:32:53, five-and-a-half minutes back from winner Jepchirchir.[49]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | World Cross Country Championships | Ostend, Belgium | 8th | Junior race | 22:22 |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, Korea | 2nd | 10,000 metres | 30:50.04 |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, England | 2nd | 10,000 metres | 30:26.37[50] |
| 2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 5th | 10,000 metres | 31:44.42 |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Sapporo, Japan | 17th | Marathon | 2:32:53[51] |
Kipyego went to Moi Kapcherop Girls High School inKapcherop,Marakwet District, with other girls who became professional runners, such asPasca Myers.[52] Her elder brothers,Mike Kipyego andChristopher Kipyego, are also runners.[53]
When Kipyego was four years old, her father died, leaving her mother to raise seven children. The family was poor and her mother was often sick. When Kipyego was eleven, her brother's friend suffered an injury in a bicycle accident. Kipyego ran seven miles to the nearest clinic but the doctor was intoxicated and kicked her out. These events gave Kipyego the desire to become a nurse so she could help provide better healthcare in her native country.[54]
Kipyego first enrolled atSouth Plains College inLevelland, Texas. After transferring toTexas Tech, she applied to thenursing program in February 2007. Kipyego received anacceptance letter and began her first nursing class on 5 July 2007.[54] Kipyego earned her nursing degree May 2009.Texas Tech cross countryAll-AmericanKevin Chelimo,[55][56][57] now a volunteer assistant coach[58] forTexas Tech Red Raiders, married Sally Kipyego in 2008 summer.[59][60]
In January 2017, Kipyego became a U.S. citizen.[61]
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USTFCCCA Collegiate Track & Field/Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame | ||
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| Class of 2022 |
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| Class of 2023 | ||
| Class of 2024 | ||