.jpg) Kipketer in 2010 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1972-12-12)12 December 1972 (age 52)[1] |
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft11+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Denmark |
| Sport | Track and field |
Medal record | |
| Updated on 9 February 2014 | |
Wilson Kosgei Kipketer (born 12 December 1972) is aDanish formermiddle distancerunner. With a personal best of 1:41.11, Kipketer is tied withEmmanuel Wanyonyi as the second fastest of all time over the800 meter distance, behindDavid Rudisha. Kipketer set the world record and broke his own record two more times, all in 1997. He dominated the 800 m distance for a decade, remaining undefeated for a three-year period and running 8 of the 17 currently all-time fastest times. He won gold medals in three successive editions of theIAAF World Championships in Athletics. Though unable to compete in the1996 Olympics near the peak of his career, he earnedsilver in2000 andbronze in2004. Kipketer's 800 meters world record stood for almost 13 years. It was surpassed on 22 August 2010, whenDavid Rudisha beat it by 0.02 seconds, running 1:41.09. Kipketer still currently holds the indoorworld record for the800 metres.
Kipketer represented bothSparta andKIF during his running career.
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Kipketer was born inKapchemoiywo,Kenya, into theNandi tribe (a subgroup of the Kalenjin people).[3][4]
As a teenager, Kipketer was first noticed by1968 and1972 Olympic championKip Keino. Keino suggested Kipketer attend theCatholicSt. Patrick's High School inIten that was famous for bringing up young runners. David Rudisha, who surpassed Kipketer's 800m world record in 2010, was also coached by longtime St. Patrick's coach, teacher and former Headmaster Brother Colm O'Connell.[5][4]
In 1990, Kipketer travelled toDenmark as a foreignexchange student, studyingelectronic engineering.[6] He liked Denmark so much that he decided to settle there, and eventually applied for Danishcitizenship.
Kipketer came to international attention in 1994 when he won 16 of 18 800 meter races, ran the second fastest 800 meters of the year (1:43.29) and was ranked number one in the world byTrack and Field News magazine. The next year, he won 10 of 12 races, ran under 1:43 twice (becoming only the second man to break 1:43 twice in one season, afterJoaquim Cruz who did it in 1984 & 1985) with his 1:42.87 being the world leader, and he competed for Denmark in the1995 World Championships.[7] It was there that he claimed his firstWorld Championship title in the 800 metres, pulling away from his competitors in dominating fashion down the homestretch.[8][9]
However, Kipketer was not a full Danish citizen, and in 1996 theInternational Olympic Committee disallowed him from competing for Denmark in theOlympic Games inAtlanta, USA.[10] Despite his absence from the Olympics, there was no doubt that Kipketer was the strongest 800 m runner in the world that year. He remained undefeated throughout 1996, including wins over all three 800 meter medalists at the 1996 Olympic Games, and set a new personal best of 1:41.83 inRieti at the end of the season, the fastest 800 meter time in the world in 12 years and only 0.1 short of the World Record. Despite not participating in the Olympics, Track & Field News magazine ranked him number one in the world in the 800 meters for 1996.
In 1997 Kipketer was at the peak of his career. In March he won the 800 m gold at theIndoor World Championships inParis, France. In fact, he broke the indoor world record time in the heats by nearly a second, beating Paul Ereng's WR 1:44.84 with his 1:43.96. Then in the final he took yet another second off the world record with a scintillating 1:42.67. On 7 July he tiedSebastian Coe's world record (1:41.73) for the 800 metres at a meeting inStockholm, Sweden. Coe's record had stood for sixteen years. He went on to break the record twice that year, the first time being inZürich, Switzerland at theWeltklasse Zürich GP on 13 August when he ran 1:41.24. (His was one of three world records to fall in a 70-minute stretch at this remarkable meet, the other two being the 5,000 meter record toHaile Gebrselassie and the 3,000 meter steeplechase toWilson Boit Kipketer. (To the latter, he is not related.) Eleven days later, on 24 August, he improved the world record to 1:41.11 at the Grand Prix meet inCologne, Germany. On 8 August, in the1997 World Championships in Athletics at theOlympic Stadium,Athens, Greece, he led the race from start to finish, blazing the first 200 meters in 23.47 seconds, and successfully defended the World Championship title he had won in 1995. He was voted Track & Field Athlete of the Year byTrack and Field News Magazine.
The following season, Kipketer contractedmalaria and at first intended not to race at all. Eventually, he participated in three meets, winning in Monaco and running a swift 1:43.18 in Zürich. At the European Championships in Budapest but made physical contact with the eventual winnerNils Schumann on the final straight and did not win a medal. He came back in 1999 by finishing second at theIndoor World Championships and bettering that with a gold medal at the 1999World Championship inSeville, Spain. As in 1997, Kipketer was undefeated in 1999, winning all 10 outdoor races and finishing the year ranked number one in the world in the 800m by Track & Field News magazine.
In 2000, he broke the world indoor record in the1000 metres by running a 2:14.96. However, he raced sparingly outdoors and didn't show the same form he had in previous years, losing three out of the four races he contested. At the2000 Summer Olympics inSydney, Australia, Kipketer tooksilver, finishing 0.06 behindNils Schumann in a tactical, closely contested800 metres race.
In 2002, Kipketer won the gold medal at the European Championships in Munich, defeating the reigning world champion,André Bucher and 2000 Olympic champion, Nils Schumann. He also won 8 of the 9 races he contested, had the fastest 800-metre time in the world (1:42.32), and ranked number one in the world for 800 metres for a record sixth time (one more thanMal Whitfield).
Despite fightinginjuries, Kipketer continued to compete through the 2003 season gaining a silver medal at theIndoor World Championships at theNational Indoor Arena,Birmingham, England but only managing fourth place at theWorld Championships later that year.
In the2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece Kipketer had the lead with 80 meters leftin the 800 metres final but was passed with 20 meters left byYuriy Borzakovskiy andMbulaeni Mulaudzi, Kipketer taking the bronze medal. At 31 years of age he was still running fast times (breaking 1:44 on three occasions) but no longer had the dominant finish he once possessed, winning only one of the six races he contested, and did not race again after 2004. He ended his career with a remarkable record of fast 800 meter times: except for 2001, he ran 1:43 or better every year from 1994 to 2004. His ten years of sub-1:44 800 meter times is unmatched by any other athlete.
During 11 years his coach was Sławomir Nowak (Poland).
He announced his retirement from competitive athletics in August 2005.
He married his Danish girlfriend Pernille in 2000 (also a long-distance athlete).[11]
Kipketer owns property in Monaco, Copenhagen, and Eldoret (Kenya). Kipketer has a son born in 2004.[12]
Despite gaining Danish citizenship, Kipketer resides in Monaco. A 1999 article by Associated Press documents that his choice of residence was made for tax reasons.[13]
Kipketer is today a member of the 'Champions for Peace', a group of more than 70 famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created byPeace and Sport, aMonaco-based international organization.[14]
| Event | Time | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 m | 46.85 | 1994 | |
| 800 m | 1:41.11 | 24 August 1997 | Cologne,Germany |
| 800 m | 1:42.67 (indoor) | February 1997 | Paris,France |
| 1000 m | 2:14.96 (indoor)[15] | 20 February 2000 | Birmingham,United Kingdom |
| 1500 m | 3:42.80 | 1993 | |
| Mile | 3:59.57 | 5 July 1993 | Stockholm,Sweden |
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's 800 metres World Record Holder 7 July 1997 – 22 August 2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Record Holder Men's 800 m 7 July 1997 – present | Succeeded by |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by | Men's European Athlete of the Year 1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year 1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Danish Sports Name of the Year 1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Men's Track & Field ESPY Award 1998 | Succeeded by |
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World Indoor Champions in men's800 metres | |
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European Athletics Championships champions in men's800 metres | |
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