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Some of the Kenyan athletes with world records to their names include Faith Kipyegon, Eliud Kipchoge, and David Rudisha among others.
Kenyan athletes are known to be some of the most decorated in the whole world with most of them having world records to their names. The athletes have conquered almost every distance in the athletics scene and broken records that seemed impossible to be broken in the whole world.
Some of the Kenyan athletes with world records to their names include Faith Kipyegon, Eliud Kipchoge, and David Rudisha among others. In this article, we analyse some of the Kenyan athletes with world records to their names.
Kenyan athletes with world records to their names
David Rudisha
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With his tall stature, David Rudisha, without a doubt was destined to have a world record to his name and he surely lived up to expectations. 11 years on, Rudisha’s record of 1:40.09 still lives on.
It was during the 2008 London Olympics that Rudisha’s run-in on the evening of Thursday, August 9 remains a timeless two-lap tour de force.
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19:10 - 30.05.2023
ATHLETICS David Rudisha awarded after visiting Olympic House in Switzerland
During his visit to Lausanne, he also interacted with retired sprint sensation Allyson Felix.
The Kenyan gait strode majestically up the home straight, in the form not so much of a master of the middle distances, but of a natural sprinter pushing back the boundaries of high-speed endurance. In no time, he cruised to the finish line and set a world record time of
Rudisha led from gun to tape and finished 0.18 clear of 18-year-old Botswanan Nijel Amos in 1:40:91. That was precisely 0.10 inside the global mark he set in Rieti in 2010. His average speed per 200m section was 25.22.
Faith Kipyegon
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Golden girl Faith Kipyegon is the latest Kenyan to have two world records to her name, thanks to her impeccable form this season. Kipyegon is now the 1500m and 5000m world record holder.
Kipyegon put up an exhilarating show at the Diamond League Meeting in Florence, Italy to win the 1500m and set a new world record of 3:49.11. Her 5000m world record came as a shocker to many since she was competing over the distance for the first time since 2015.
She destroyed a strong field that had attracted Ethiopia's Letesnbet Gidey, an expert in the distance, to win in 14:05.20, at the Diamond League Meeting in Paris, France. She broke the two world records in a span of one week.
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07:36 - 29.06.2023
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He added that his dream of winning all six Marathon Majors is still on despite the Boston Marathon setback.
In the 1500m, Kipyegon had achieved every trophy on her cabinet except the world record and it can now be true to say that she is the greatest 1500m runner of all time. She is a two-time world and Olympic champion over the distance and also a multiple Diamond League final winner.
The 29-year-old tried breaking the 1500m world record during the Diamond League Meeting in Monaco last year but missed it by an agonising 0.03 seconds. But 2023 changed things for her and I can confidently say that this is her year.
Beatrice Chepkoech
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Beatrice Chepkoech is a 3000m steeplechase specialist and a long-distance runner. She got the 3000m SC world record to her name after producing an outstanding run at a hot and humid Stade Louis II, during the 2018 Diamond League Meeting in Monaco.
Chepkoech produced the crowning performance shaving eight seconds off the women’s world 3000m steeplechase record by clocking 8:44.32 to win the race. She obliterated the mark of 8:52.78 set by Ruth Jebet of Bahrain.
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06:30 - 26.06.2023
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The 2019 world champion withdrew from last year’s World Championships in Eugene, Oregon due to a nagging injury.
She oozed class during that night as she was clear of the field with three laps remaining. Her performance that night cemented her place as a certified 3000m SC queen.
However, she has been battling a series of injuries that saw her miss out on last year’s World Championships in Oregon but she has since confirmed participation at this year’s global event in Budapest, Hungary.
Agnes Tirop
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The late Agnes Tirop was also a piece of talent and one of Kenya’s national treasures who donned Team Kenya’s colors with pride and would shine unapologetically. On top of having a sweet personality, the late Tirop also has a world record to her name.
The two-time world 5000m bronze medallist set a new 10km women’s only world record during the 2021 Road to Records event hosted in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
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12:55 - 18.06.2023
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She said the murder of her former teammate Agnes Tirop was a sign that she needed to do something.
Tirop broke away in the final 2km of the race and went on to smash the women-only world record, taking 28 seconds off the mark that had been set by Morocco’s Asmae Leghzaoui in New York on 8 June 2002.
Sadly, Tirop was found murdered in her home in Iten on October 13, 2021. She was surely destined for greatness but her life was cut short. Her husband, Ibrahim Rotich was the prime suspect in her murder.
Brigid Kosgei
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Brigid Kosgei, 29, made a name for herself after breaking the women’s-only world record at the 2019 Chicago Marathon after clocking 2:14:04. She shattered Paula Radcliffe’s record of 2:15:25.
Radcliffe had set the record during the 2003 London Marathon and no one had ever gotten close to it until Kosgei bettered it by one minute and 21 seconds and was able to get herself in the list of Kenyan athletes with world records to their names.
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17:59 - 27.06.2023
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She specialises in the 3000m Steeplechase where she is slowly earning a name for herself.
After breaking the world record, Kosgei did not rest on her laurels as she went ahead to finish second at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She was narrowly defeated by compatriot Peres Jepchirchir to the title.
However, the two-time London Marathon champion has not had an easy journey in the recent past as she has been battling a series of injuries that have slowed her down. The nagging injury forced her to withdraw from the London Marathon earlier this year due to an injury.
Eliud Kipchoge
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Popularly known as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) over the marathon distance, Eliud Kipchoge surely deserves to be on the list of Kenyan athletes with world records to their names. Kipchoge, 38, has made a name for himself courtesy of his hard work and commitment to the sport.
Kipchoge won the 2018 Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:01:39, breaking the previous world record by 1 minute and 18 seconds (2:02:57 set by fellow countryman Dennis Kimetto at the Berlin Marathon in 2014). It was the greatest improvement in a marathon world record time since 1967.
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11:54 - 30.06.2023
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The program has the same vision as the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation, hence him being a perfect fit for the brand ambassador.
He later better his world record after winning the 2022 Berlin Marathon decisively in a time of 2:01:09, beating by 30 seconds his own previous world record, which he set on the same course in 2018.
At the moment, he is a four-time Berlin and London Marathon champion. He is also a former Chicago and Tokyo Marathon champion.
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