 In May 2007, at aWFP meeting. | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing Kenya | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 1996 Atlanta | 10,000 m |
| 2000 Sydney | 10,000 m |
| World Championships | ||
| 1997 Athens | 10,000 m |
| 1999 Sevilla | 10,000 m |
 | 1995 Gothenburg | 10,000 m |
| World Cross Country Championships | ||
 | 1995 Durham | Long race |
| 1996 Stellenbosch | Long race |
| 1997 Turin | Long race |
| 1998 Marrakesh | Long race |
| 1999 Belfast | Long race |
| 2000 Vilamoura | Long race |
| World Half Marathon Championships | ||
| 1999 Palermo | Half marathon |
| 2000 Veracruz | Half marathon |
Paul Kibii Tergat (born 17 June 1969) is a Kenyan former professionallong-distance runner. He became the first Kenyan man to set the[1]world record in themarathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.[2][3][4] Runnerworld called him the "Most comprehensive runner of all time".[5]
Towards the end of his career, he concentrated exclusively on themarathon. Tergat set severalworld records and won many titles on the track, incross country, and on the road. He lives and trains inEldoret, Kenya.
Paul Tergat was born on 17 June 1969 inRiwo,Baringo District, in Kenya'sRift Valley Province. He attended Riwo Primary School and later joined Kapkawa Boys High School. Unlike many athletes, Tergat realised his talent after graduating from high school.
Tergat won five straightIAAF World Cross Country Championships titles,1995 to1999, which was a record. Says Tergat, "Cross country is what I always liked most. It was my world, my passion. Before the IAAF introduced the short course in1998, all the world class athletes from1500 m to the marathon were in the same race."
He won theLisbon Half Marathon in 2000, setting a new course record and personal best of 59:06. He won the race again in 2005 with a time of 59:10.[6] Tergat's achievements also include 5 victories in the traditionalSaint Silvester Road Race, the most important event in Latin Americanstreet racing. He holds the record for the present 15 km distance, which he established in 1995. His performances in the Saint Silvester race earned him celebrity status inBrazil.
He has had an intense rivalry with his friendHaile Gebrselassie ofEthiopia. In theOlympic Games 10,000m finals of both the1996 Atlanta Olympics and the2000 Sydney Olympics, he was defeated by Gebrselassie by slim margins. In 2000, the margin of victory was only nine-hundredths of a second.[7][8][9]
Tergat finished second to Gebrselassie in the1997 and1999 World Championships in Athletics at 10,000 m, and finished third in the1995 version of that race, behind Gebrselassie and MoroccanKhalid Skah.
On the track, Tergat broke Gebrselassie's 10,000-metre world record on 22 August 1997 inBrussels with a time of 26:27.85 minutes. The record was broken again by Gebrselassie in 1998 (time 26:22:75), but Tergat's time remains a Kenyan record (as of 2024).[10] On the road, Tergat broke thehalf marathon world record on 4 April 1998 inMilan by running in 59:17 minutes. (Tergat had run 58:51 minutes at the Stramilano half marathon in 1996, but a misplaced cone made the course slightly too short and no record was allowed.) The previous record, 59:47 minutes was set byMoses Tanui in 1993. Tergat's world record was broken in 2005 bySamuel Wanjiru, another Kenyan.
When Tergat raced Gebrselassie in theLondon Marathon in 2002, it was Tergat who beat Gebrselassie; Tergat was in second place behind then world record holderKhalid Khannouchi. The three runners raced again in the 2007 version with Tergat being the only one of them to finish.
He became anIOC member at the125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires in September 2013.[11]
Tergat finished second in his first three marathons:London Marathon in 2001 and 2002 andChicago Marathon in 2001. He continued marathoning by two fourth places:Chicago 2002 and London 2003.[12]
He set the marathonworld record of2:04:55, on 28 September 2003 at theBerlin Marathon.[13] That is an average pace of0:02:57 per kilometre (20.3 km/h) or0:04:46 per mile (12.6 MPH). In his world record race, Tergat badly abraded his foot. He later said it felt like the sole of his shoe fell off. He also took a momentary wrong turn near the finish. Tergat's countrymanSammy Korir, who was apacesetter for the race, nearly caught up to him. Korir took second place in 2:04:56, then the second-fastest marathon performance in history.[14][15] Tergat's world record was broken in 2007 byHaile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia. Tergat's time remained the Kenyan record until 2009, when winnerDuncan Kibet and 2nd placedJames Kwambai both timed 2:04:27 at theRotterdam Marathon[16]
Tergat won theNew York City Marathon 6 November 2005, in a thrilling sprint finish through New York'sCentral Park, prevailing over defending championHendrick Ramaala 2:09:29.90 to 2:09:30.22.[17]
That year, Tergat inaugurated theBaringo Half Marathon, setting up the professional race on a course near his home town.[18]
A week prior to the London Marathon on 23 April 2006, Tergat pulled a calf muscle. Calling the injury "cruel," he was forced to withdraw from the star-studded race, which would have featured a long-awaited showdown with Haile Gebrselassie. The race was won byFelix Limo of Kenya.
Marílson Gomes dos Santos won the 2006New York City Marathon; Tergat finished third. Gomes made a move at mile 19 and Tergat did not respond. Tergat steadily closed the gap over the final five miles.[19]
Tergat finished sixth (2:08:06) at the 2007London Marathon in April 2007. The entry list was competitive, including Ethiopian legendHaile Gebrselassie, who dropped out just past the 30-K mark. Kenya'sMartin Lel won the race in a time of 2:07.42, after a dramatic, gutsy finish.
On 30 September 2007 Ethiopian long distance runnerHaile Gebrselassie broke Tergat's record marathon time of 2:04.55, finishing the Berlin Marathon in 2:04:26. Moments after finishing the race, Gebrselassie apologised to his friend Tergat for breaking the record, during a congratulatory phone call. Gebrselassie later explained "I am sorry – this record belonged to Paul Tergat," Gebrselassie told a news conference when asked about the phone call. "Paul is my friend."
He expressed a desire to compete in2008 Olympics, but was not selected to represent Kenya. He finished 4th in the New York Marathon later that year.[12]
In 2009, he won theLake Biwa Marathon in Japan, timing 2:10:22.[20]In October 2009, he was the guest of honour at the relaunch of theBelgrade Race Through History. Although he never won the competition in the late 1990s, he was the only competitor to run in all of the first four editions and never finished outside of the top three. He stated his desire to close his career at the race and praised the way it promotedSerbia's cultural heritage.[21]
He was named byNew York Road Runners as the recipient of the 2010Abebe Bikila Award in recognition of his long-distance achievements, becoming the first Kenyan male winner. In his acceptance he said "The history of marathon running is incomplete without the solid and indelible mark of the lateAbebe Bikila's contribution, and I am so proud to be associated [with this]".[22]
"+" indicates mark set en route during a longer race
"a" indicates course slightly downhill
| Distance | Mark | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3000 m | 7:28.70 | 1996-08-10 | Monaco |
| 5000 m | 12:49.87 | 1997-08-13 | Zurich |
| 10,000 m | 26:27.85 | 1997-08-22 | Brussels |
| 10 km (road) | 27:45+ | 2006-03-26 | Lisbon |
| 15 km (road) | 42:04+ | 1998-04-04 | Milan |
| Ten miles (road) | 45:12+ | 1998-04-04 | Milan |
| 20 km (road) | 56:18+ | 1998-04-04 | Milan |
| Half marathon | 59:06a | 2000-03-26 | Lisbon |
| 30 km (road) | 1:29:00+ | 2002-04-14 | London |
| Marathon | 2:04:55 | 2003-09-28 | Berlin |
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In January 2004 Tergat was named a UNWorld Food Programme (WFP) "Ambassador Against Hunger". When he was a child, Paul Tergat's family was too poor to send him to school with food. According to Tergat, he would not have gotten a full education were it not for the World Food Program, which provided lunch at his school.[23]
Tergat set up thePaul Tergat Foundation in 2005.[24] It is meant to help disadvantaged Kenyan sportspeople.He runs a Sports Marketing and PR company known as Fine Touch Communications (organises the annualSportsman of the Year Awards in Kenya in conjunction withSafaricom, a leading mobile telephony provider in Kenya. He's also considering launching a clothing line under the name "Tergat" in the coming months.
Like many other Kenyan athletes, Tergat is enlisted toArmed Forces. He is based at theMoi Air Base inNairobi.[25]
As of April 2015, Tergat was linked with the role of leading a new interim committee to overseeAthletics Kenya (AK) after rumours surfaced that the Sports Cabinet Secretary,Hassan Wario, would soon dissolve AK.[26]
Media related toPaul Tergat at Wikimedia Commons| Olympic Games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Flagbearer for Kenya Atlanta 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by | Men's Half Marathon World Record Holder 4 April 1998 – 11 September 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Men's 10,000 m World Record Holder 22 August 1997 – 1 June 1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Men's Marathon World Record Holder 28 September 2003 – 30 September 2007 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Men's Half Marathon Best Year Performance 1998–1999 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
