Dennis Kipruto Kimetto

Dennis Kipruto Kimetto

Kimetto (right) at the 2012 Berlin Marathon
Personal information
Nationality Kenyan
Born (1984-01-22) 22 January 1984[1]
Height 171 cm (5 ft 7 in)[2]
Weight 55 kg (121 lb)[3]
Sport
Country Kenya Kenya
Sport Athletics
Event(s) Long-distance running

Dennis Kipruto Kimetto or Dennis Kipruto Koech (born 22 January 1984) is a Kenyan long distance runner who competes in road running events. He is the world record holder at the marathon and the 25 km road distance.

Career

Hailing from Eldoret and part of a training group including Geoffrey Mutai,[4] Kimetto's first major win came in the half marathon section of the Nairobi Marathon in 2011. Running as Dennis Koech, he topped the podium in a time of 1:01:30.[5] He quickly rose into the global running elite in his first outings outside of Kenya. At the RAK Half Marathon he defeated a field including Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich to win the race in 60:40 minutes.[4] His age was misreported as ten years younger, and his following run of 59:14 minutes to win the Berlin Half Marathon in April was briefly considered a world junior best.[6] An erroneous passport was the cause of both the age difference and the Koech misnomer, his surname actually being Kimetto. This was rectified in later competitions.[7][8]

With Kimetto's personal data corrected, he went on to break his first major record at the BIG 25 Berlin. His time of 71:18 minutes at that race knocked a sizeable margin off Sammy Kosgei's world record of 71:50.[9] After this he made the fastest marathon debut in history. Again running in Berlin, he ran alongside training partner Geoffrey Mutai for much of the 2012 Berlin Marathon. He recorded a time of 2:04:16, one second behind Mutai, to set the fifth fastest ever run at that point.[10] Some reporters observed that Kimetto stayed solidly behind the more prominent Mutai in the final section of the race and concluded that he allowed his partner to take the victory.[11]

Without his team mate present, Kimetto won the 2013 Tokyo Marathon with a new course record time of 2:06:50 hours.[12] On 13 October 2013 he won the Chicago Marathon in a course-record time of 2:03:45. On 28 September 2014, Kimetto broke the world record at the Berlin Marathon with 2:02:57 and became the first man to run under 2:03. His 5k splits were recorded as: 14:42, 14:42, 14:46, 14:26, 14:32, 14:30, 14:09, 14:42.[13]

His 2015 season wasn't as impressive as he only completed the London Marathon, finishing third, failing to complete the IAFF Marathon World Championships in Beijing in August as well as the Fukuoka Marathon in December where he stopped at the 5k mark after dropping off the pace at 2k due to an injury. He is scheduled to run the London Marathon on April 24th, 2016.

Kimetto grew up in a rural farming community. "I think what really motivates me to be a fighter is the fact that I come from a humble background," Kimetto says. "I try to really make sure that I achieve my best so that I can assist my family."[14]

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing  Kenya
2011 Nairobi Half Marathon Nairobi, Kenya 1st 1:01:30
RAK Half Marathon Dubai, United Arab Emirates 1st 1:00:40
2012 Berlin Half Marathon Berlin, Germany 1st 59:14
BIG 25 Berlin Berlin, Germany 1st 1:11:18
Berlin Marathon Berlin, Germany 2nd 2:04:16
2013 Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan 1st 2:06:50
Chicago Marathon Chicago, United States 1st 2:03:45
2014 Berlin Marathon Berlin, Germany 1st 2:02:57 (WR)
2015 London Marathon London, England 3rd 2:05:50
2016 London Marathon London, England 9th 2:11:44

References

  1. ↑ "2013 Tokyo Marathon" (PDF). tokyo42195.org. World Marathon Majors. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  2. ↑ http://www.lequipe.fr/Athletisme/AthletismeFicheAthlete18957.html
  3. ↑ http://www.lequipe.fr/Athletisme/AthletismeFicheAthlete18957.html
  4. 1 2 Hutchings, Tim (2012-02-17). Keitany wins but records blown off course in windy RAK Half Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  5. ↑ October 2011: AIMS results. AIMS. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  6. ↑ Martin, David (2012-04-01). Koech and Ongori prevail in heated battles in Berlin Half. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  7. ↑ New name and new distance as Kenya’s Newcomer Dennis Kimetto goes for 25 k in Berlin. Berlin Run (2012-05-03). Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  8. ↑ Kavarna 2012: Facts and Figures. IAAF . Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  9. ↑ Kimetto breaks 25km World record in Berlin. IAAF (2012-05-06). Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  10. ↑ Butcher, Pat (2012-09-30). Close victory for Mutai but more straightforward for Kebede in Berlin - REPORT. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-01-31.
  11. ↑ Tucker, Ross (2012-10-02). Geoffrey Mutai misses world record in an intriguing Berlin Marathon. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2013-01-31.
  12. ↑ Nakamura, Ken (2013-02-24). Kimetto clocks course record 2:06:50 at Tokyo Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-02.
  13. ↑ Douglas, Scott (2014-09-28) Dennis Kimetto's Marathon World Record By The Numbers. Retrieved on 2014-09-28.
  14. ↑ Battaglia, Joe (2014-09-24) From poverty to podium. Retrieved on 2014-09-28.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dennis Kimetto.
Records
Preceded by
Kenya Wilson Kipsang		 Men's Marathon World Record Holder
28 September 2014 – present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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