Daniel Komen
Encyclopedia
Daniel Kipngetich Komen (born May 17, 1976 in Elgeyo-Marakwet District, Kenya
) is a Kenyan middle-
and long-distance runner
. Remembered for his rivalry with Haile Gebrselassie
, Komen's most notable achievements came in a two-year period between 1996 and 1998, during which he broke a string of world records. Komen's 1998 indoor and 1996 outdoor records for 3,000m still stand, and he remains the only man to run back-to-back sub-four-minute miles
. Komen was also also the second man, after Saïd Aouita
, to break both the 13-minute mark for the 5,000m and the 3½-minute mark for the 1,500m.
, later that same year helping pace Moses Kiptanui
to a 5,000m record.
Two years later, Komen began to dominate the 5,000m. On September 1, 1996 in Rieti, Italy
, Komen ran a spectacular world record
time of 7:20.67 in the 3000 metres
, breaking Noureddine Morceli
's former record by 4.44 seconds.
A year later, Komen made history again. In Hechtel, Belgium
, Komen became the first (and so far only) man to run two miles
in under eight minutes, clocking a world record 7:58.61. Just seven months later, at an Australian athletics meet in Sydney
, Komen ran another 7:58, missing his world record by 0.30 seconds.
In August 1997 he broke the 5000m world record and took two seconds off of Haile Gebrselassie's best to bring it to 12:39.74.
Only twelve days after the previous world record of 7:26.15 was set by Haile Gebrselassie, Komen broke the indoor 3,000-metre record with a time of 7:24.90, set in Budapest
on February 6, 1998. This mark is still referred to as "Mount Everest
" in athletics circles and has been bettered only twice outdoors, one of them being Komen's own world record. Kenenisa Bekele
believes that breaking Komen's record is only "possible on a special day if the pace is good and if everything else also is perfect."
Other accolades include being the 1997 World Championships in Athletics
and 1998 Commonwealth Games
5,000-meter champion. He won the 5000 metres race at the 1998 IAAF World Cup.
Out of the limelight since the late 1990s, Komen now serves as chairman of the Keiyo North Rift Athletics Association, and as co-director of a private school with his wife, Joyce.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
) is a Kenyan middle-
Middle distance track event
Middle distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle distance event. The 880 yard run, or half mile, was the forebear to the...
and long-distance runner
Long-distance track event
Long-distance track event races require runners to balance their energy. These types of races are predominantly aerobic in nature and at the highest level, exceptional levels of aerobic endurance is required more than anything else...
. Remembered for his rivalry with Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon...
, Komen's most notable achievements came in a two-year period between 1996 and 1998, during which he broke a string of world records. Komen's 1998 indoor and 1996 outdoor records for 3,000m still stand, and he remains the only man to run back-to-back sub-four-minute miles
Four-minute mile
In the sport of athletics, the four-minute mile is the act of completing the mile run in less than four minutes. It was first achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister in 3:59.4. The 'four minute barrier' has since been broken by many male athletes, and is now the standard of all male professional...
. Komen was also also the second man, after Saïd Aouita
Said Aouita
Saïd Aouita is a former Moroccan athlete, winner of 5000 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 5000 meters at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, 3000 meters at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships, and former world record holder at 1500m , 2000m , 3000m , and twice at 5000m [ and ]...
, to break both the 13-minute mark for the 5,000m and the 3½-minute mark for the 1,500m.
Early life
Komen is from the Keiyo sub-tribe of Kalenjin people and grew up in a rural area of Kenya's Rift Valley Province. One of fourteen children, Komen began running at the age of seven as a means of getting to and from school. Komen had an exceptional junior career: at age 17, he placed second at the World Junior Cross Country Championships, and in 1994, he became the World Junior Champion in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters.Rise to prominence
Komen first appeared in the senior ranks in 1994 when he won a place on Kenya's 10,000m team for the 1994 Commonwealth GamesCommonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
, later that same year helping pace Moses Kiptanui
Moses Kiptanui
Moses Kiptanui is a middle and long distance athlete mostly famous for 3,000 m steeplechase in which he was the number one ranked athlete from 1991 to 1995 and three time IAAF World Champion...
to a 5,000m record.
Two years later, Komen began to dominate the 5,000m. On September 1, 1996 in Rieti, Italy
Province of Rieti
The Province of Rieti is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rieti.It has an area of 2,749 km², and a total population of 153,258 . There are 73 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Rieti.It was founded in 1927.-External links:*...
, Komen ran a spectacular world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
time of 7:20.67 in the 3000 metres
3000 metres
The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
, breaking Noureddine Morceli
Noureddine Morceli
Noureddine Morceli is a retired Algerian athlete, winner of the 1500 m run at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Born in Ténès, Noureddine Morceli rose to athletic prominence after winning the silver medal in the 1500 m at the World Junior Championships in 1988...
's former record by 4.44 seconds.
A year later, Komen made history again. In Hechtel, Belgium
Hechtel-Eksel
Hechtel-Eksel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2006 Hechtel-Eksel had a total population of 11,473. The total area is 76.70 km² which gives a population density of 150 inhabitants per km².-Events:...
, Komen became the first (and so far only) man to run two miles
Two miles
The 2 mile is a historic running distance. Like the mile run, it is still contested at some invitational meets, perhaps because it provides an easier record to break for meet promoters , as well as its historical chronology. It is largely superseded by the 3000 m and 5000 m, and by the 3200m in...
in under eight minutes, clocking a world record 7:58.61. Just seven months later, at an Australian athletics meet in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Komen ran another 7:58, missing his world record by 0.30 seconds.
In August 1997 he broke the 5000m world record and took two seconds off of Haile Gebrselassie's best to bring it to 12:39.74.
Only twelve days after the previous world record of 7:26.15 was set by Haile Gebrselassie, Komen broke the indoor 3,000-metre record with a time of 7:24.90, set in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
on February 6, 1998. This mark is still referred to as "Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
" in athletics circles and has been bettered only twice outdoors, one of them being Komen's own world record. Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who holds the world record and Olympic record in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events...
believes that breaking Komen's record is only "possible on a special day if the pace is good and if everything else also is perfect."
Other accolades include being the 1997 World Championships in Athletics
1997 World Championships in Athletics
The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10, 1997. In this event participated 1882 athletes from 198 participant nations...
and 1998 Commonwealth Games
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
5,000-meter champion. He won the 5000 metres race at the 1998 IAAF World Cup.
Out of the limelight since the late 1990s, Komen now serves as chairman of the Keiyo North Rift Athletics Association, and as co-director of a private school with his wife, Joyce.
Personal records
Daniel Komen's personal records, and their place on the world ranking of all times, unless otherwise noted. All times and placings are taken from Komen's IAAF bio :| Distance | Time | All-Time Rank | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 Meters 1500 metres The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could... |
3:29.46 | 12th | August 16, 1997 | Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the... |
| 1 Mile | 3:46.38 | 5th | August 26, 1997 | Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... |
| 2000 Meters Middle distance track event Middle distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle distance event. The 880 yard run, or half mile, was the forebear to the... |
4:51.30 | 9th | June 5, 1998 | Milano |
| 3000 Meters (outdoor) 3000 metres The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and... |
7:20.67 | World Record | September 1, 1996 | Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River... |
| 3000 Meters (indoor) 3000 metres The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and... |
7:24.90 | World Record | February 6, 1998 | Budapest Budapest Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter... |
| 2 Miles Two miles The 2 mile is a historic running distance. Like the mile run, it is still contested at some invitational meets, perhaps because it provides an easier record to break for meet promoters , as well as its historical chronology. It is largely superseded by the 3000 m and 5000 m, and by the 3200m in... |
7:58.61 | World Record | July 19, 1997 | Hechtel Hechtel-Eksel Hechtel-Eksel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2006 Hechtel-Eksel had a total population of 11,473. The total area is 76.70 km² which gives a population density of 150 inhabitants per km².-Events:... |
| 5000 Meters | 12:39.74 | 3rd | August 22, 1997 | Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... |
| 10,000 Meters 10000 metres The 10,000 metres or 10K is a common long distance running event. As "10,000 metres" it is a track event, and appears in athletics events such as the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics; as "10K" it is a roadrace or cross country running event... |
27:38.32 | 532* | August 30, 2002 | Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... |
Achievements
| Representing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | World Junior Championships 1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics was held in Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-References:* at GBRathletics.com* from World Junior Athletics History... |
Lisbon, Portugal | 1st | 5,000 m |
| 1st | 10,000 m | |||