Sally Chepyego Kaptich (Japanese:シェリー・チェピエゴ; born 3 October 1985) is a Kenyanlong-distance runner who competes mainly intrack androad running events.
She established herself at theWorld Youth Championships in Athletics in 2001, winning the3000 metres title. She moved to Japan several years later to compete for theKyudenko running team. She has won several corporate track running titles for the team.
Chepyego has twice represented Kenya as a senior athlete: first at the 2006International Chiba Ekiden, where she broke anAfrican record, and then at the2013 World Championships in Athletics, where she placed seventh in the10,000 metres.
Chepyego is currently part of theNN Running Team, an international team of elite long-distance runners managed byGlobal Sports Communication inNijmegen,Netherlands.
Born near Keiyo District in Kenya'sRift Valley Province, Chepyego's first success came at the2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics where,running barefoot, she held off Ethiopia'sMestewat Tufa to win the gold medal in the3000 metres.[1] She competed only at local competitions for the next few years and was the 2004 Rift Valley High Schools champion.[2] At age nineteen, she placed third at the North Rift Valley championships.[3]
In 2006, she emigrated to Japan to take up professional running. She gained her first international selection soon after for theInternational Chiba Ekiden. Running in a team ofPhiles Ongori,Evelyne Kemunto Kimwei,Catherine Ndereba,Jane Wanjiku Gakunyi andLucy Wangui Kabuu, she won the race and helped break theAfrican record for the marathonekiden distance.[4] The following year she competed on the Japanese track circuit and won theMiyazaki5K run.[5] She did not compete in 2008 and changed location for the 2009 season, entering a series of road races in Europe. Her best performances were a win at theWürzburg half marathon, third at theKö-Lauf in a personal best 33:41 minutes, and a fourth-place finish at theHamburg Half Marathon in another best of 75:27 minutes.[6]
Chepyego returned to running in Japan in 2010. After a runner-up finish at theBaringo 15K,[7] she won the end-of-yearSanyo Women's 10K.[8] She signed up with theKyudenko corporate running team in 2011 and performed well on the track circuit, almost going undefeated that season with wins at theOda Memorial,Hokuren Shibetsu Meet,Japan Corporate Track and Field Championships and theHyogo Relays. Her sole defeat on the track came at theNobeoka Golden Games, where she was runner-up toAnn Karindi.[6] On the roads she set a new best of 72:03 minutes to place second toFlorence Kiplagat at theSapporo Half Marathon.[9] She improved to 69:58 minutes at theSanyo Women's Half Marathon, although that time was only enough for third as race winnerYukiko Akaba set a new course record.[10] Chepyego was Kyudenko's top performer at theAll-Japan Women's Corporate Ekiden Championships.[11]
In 2011, Chepyego took a5000 metres/10,000 metres double at the Japan Corporate Championships,[6] but failed in her aim to make the 10,000 m team forKenya at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[12] She was runner-up at the Sanyo 10K that year. She focused on the track event in 2013 and was rewarded with her first major international selection. After winning the 10,000 m at the Hyogo Relays, she placed third at the Kenyan trials. This earned her a place at the2013 World Championships in Athletics. In the final she ran a personal best of 31:22.11 minutes, which brought her seventh place overall.[6] She won the Sanyo Half Marathon in December, setting a personal best and course record time of 68:24 minutes.[13]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | World Youth Championships | Debrecen, Hungary | 1st | 3000 metres | |
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 7th | 10,000 metres |
