 Chelimo in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | (1990-10-27)October 27, 1990 (age 35) Iten, Kenya |
| Home town | Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina at Greensboro |
| Height | 174 cm (5 ft 9 in)[1] |
| Weight | 57 kg (126 lb) |
| Website | www |
| Sport | |
| Country | USA |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | 1500–10,000 m |
| Club | U.S. Army WCAP |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic finals |
|
| World finals |
|
| Personalbests | |
Medal record | |
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Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo (born October 27, 1990) is a Kenyan born Americantrack and field athlete. He is the2016 Olympic silver medalist and the2020 Olympic bronze medalist in the5000 meters and is known for his success at the highest level of athletics and controversial racing tactics.
Born and brought up in Kenya, Chelimo initially went to the US in 2010 to run forShorter College where he won the 3000 meters and was part of their winningdistance medley relay team as Shorter won the 2011NAIA National Indoor Championship. Later that year, Shorter won theNAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship as Chelimo won the 5000 meters and 10000 meters at the championships. He transferred to theUniversity of North Carolina at Greensboro, taking 2nd place in the2012 NCAA Championships 5000 meters and repeated the place in2013.[2]
Chelimo found his path to US citizenship by joining theUnited States Army through theMilitary Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI) program as a water treatment specialist, then entering theirWorld Class Athletic Program in 2014.[3]
He represented the United States in the3000 meters at the2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships held inPortland, Oregon. He qualified to the World Championships by taking second place at theUSA Indoor Track and Field Championships on the same track a week earlier, setting a personal record of 7:39.00.[4]
Later in 2016, he finished third in the5000 meters at theOlympic Trials. Running aggressively, Chelimo was the first to cover an early breakaway, which was eventually swallowed by another breakaway by previous trials winnerGalen Rupp. Again, Chelimo led the last lap charge to run down Rupp, and after catching him, Chelimo held the lead onto the final straightaway. Chelimo was eventually run down by the sprint finish of 41-year-old Kenyan AmericanBernard Lagat, followed closely byHassan Mead. But Chelimo was able to hold his position to the finish, beatingEric Jenkins to the line by 0.06 of a second and qualifying for the2016 Summer Olympics.[1]
Chelimo ran a personal best 13:19.54 in the prelim of the5000 metres at the2016 Summer Olympics. During the final he stayed near the lead the entire race, withstanding every attack three Ethiopian teammates were trying to throw against eventual winnerMo Farah. When Farah launched his final kick to win the race, Chelimo was the last to follow Farah, looking, for a few moments at the head of the final stretch, like he would be the only one able to outsprint Farah to the line. Farah pulled away and Chelimo followed him across the finish line. On the scoreboard, he was initially announced as the silver medal winner. Then his name was removed from the results, along with CanadianMohammed Ahmed and EthiopianMuktar Edris. Chelimo had exchanged elbows with both of them during the final turn. Video showed Chelimo stepping inside of the track.Hagos Gebrhiwet was elevated to second place, AmericanBernard Lagat was elevated to third.The United States appealed and the medal was reinstated, with Edris, the initiator of the contact remaining disqualified.[5] He set a new personal best of 13:03.90 in the race. Chelimo's medal was the first for the US in the event sinceBob Schul andBill Dellinger in the1964 Summer Olympics, held inTokyo.[6]
Now an American star, he won theNational Championships by seven seconds inrecord time. At theWorld Championships, it was a set of familiar faces on the last lap. This time though, Edris and his teammateYomif Kejelcha got the jump on Farah and Chelimo going in to the final lap and Chelimo was running virtually even with Farah. In their pursuit of eventual winner Edris, both had to weave around Kejelcha then sprint for the line. In his last championship track race, Farah again beat Chelimo across the line, but this time it was much closer, barely a half meter separating the two, Chelimo getting bronze.
Chelimo participated in the 3000m of the2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships held inAlbuquerque, New Mexico. He won the race with a time of 7:57.88, thereby qualifying for the 2018 World Championships.[7] In the heats of theWorld Indoor Championships, he was one of many victims of a spate of disqualifications at that meet. After appeal, he did not get to run in the final.[8] In June, Chelimo won his second outdoor U.S. title in the 5000m at the2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships,[9] and, later that summer, won theLondon Diamond League also at the 5000m distance.[10]
Chelimo won his third U.S. outdoor title in the 5000m in a dramatic three-man sprint finish where he controversially drifted to lane four to prevent his competitors from overtaking him.[9] In another notable finish, Chelimo narrowly out-leanedNicholas Kimeli for the bronze medal in theTokyo 2020 Olympic 5000m. Chelimo dedicated the performance to his brother, who suddenly died earlier in the year.[11]
After his success in 2021 and relatively poor season in 2022, where he finished only 11th in the U.S. Championships 5000m, Chelimo once again qualified for the World Championships with his second-place finish in the U.S. Championships. He also competed in the 10,000m and placed fifth. At the2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Chelimo placed 15th in the 5000m.
Chelimo competed in his first marathon at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in hopes of qualifying for his third Olympics. He dropped out mid-way through the race.[12] In June, Chelimo took his second attempt at qualifying for the Olympics, this time in the 10,000m. He placed tenth.[13] In his third and final attempt at Olympic qualification, Chelimo placed twelfth in his heat of the 5,000m and failed to advance to the final.
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing United States | |||||
| 2016 | U.S. Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 3rd | 5000 m | 13:35.92 |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 2nd | 5000 m | 13:03.90 | |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 3rd | 5000 m | 13:33.30 |
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 7th | 5000 m | 13:04.60 |
| 2021 | U.S. Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 1st | 5000 m | 13:26.82 |
| Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd | 5000 m | 12:59.05 | |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 15th | 5000 m | 13:30.88 |
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