Leonard Komon
Encyclopedia
Leonard Patrick Komon is a Kenya
n long-distance runner and the current world record holder in the 10 kilometres and 15 km road races
.
He was the silver medallist at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
and shared in three team golds from 2008 to 2010.
competitions, taking the junior silver medal
at the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
and progressing to win the senior silver at the 2008 edition
. He was the 2008 winner of the Cross Internacional de Soria
. Komon was close to winning the bronze medal at the 2009 World Cross Country Championships in Amman
, but he missed out by one second behind Zersenay Tadese and Moses Kipsiro
.
He completed a strong 2009–2010 cross country season in Spain, finishing third in the Cross de la Constitucion (Alcobendas) and first in both the Cross de Itálica (Sevilla) and the Cross de Elgoibar (Basque Country). This marked him out a contender for a medal at the 2010 World Cross Country Championships in Poland. Having been among the leading four runners in the final lap at the championships, he looked set to claim third place but a late sprint in the final 100 m saw Moses Ndiema Kipsiro overhaul the Kenyan. They both recorded a time of 33:10 and Komon ended up in fourth, although his finish did help the Kenyan men (led by Joseph Ebuya
) to the team gold medal – an exact repeat of his performance from the previous year. He set a personal best over 5000 metres
on the track at the 2009 Golden Gala
in Rome, running 12:58.24 for third place behind Kenenisa Bekele
and Mark Kiptoo
.
In September 2010, at the Singelloop in Utrecht
, the Netherlands, Komon ran a world record for the 10-kilometre road race with a time of 26:44 minutes. This was a seventeen-second improvement upon Micah Kogo
's previous best as Komon became the first man under 27 minutes over the road distance. He continued his strong form at the Grand 10 Berlin
race, where he took on former record holder Kogo and comprehensively beat him, finishing in 27:12 – over a minute ahead his rival. On November 21, 2010 Komon set his second world record of the year. Winning the Zevenheuvelenloop
15K in 41:13 minutes, he bettered the former mark held by Felix Limo
and Deriba Merga by sixteen seconds.
He began preparing for the cross country championships in January and came second at the Campaccio
race behind reigning champion Ebuya, then retained his title at the Cross de Itálica. A sixth place finish at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships brought him a spot for the World team. The governing body, Athletics Kenya
, removed him from the team however, as he defied their orders not to compete at the World's Best 10K in February, at which he came fourth. He produced a course record time to win at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park
that April. In October, he set his sights on running a 10-mile world record at the Great South Run
but a slow second half undid his initial quick pace, although he did beat Abel Kirui
to win the race. He also won the Grand 10 Berlin race for a second time running that month. Turning to the grass circuits of Spain, he took a comfortable win over Kidane Tadesse at the Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio
.
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...
n long-distance runner and the current world record holder in the 10 kilometres and 15 km road races
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
.
He was the silver medallist at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Holyrood Park at Edinburgh, Scotland on 30 March 2008. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...
and shared in three team golds from 2008 to 2010.
Career
Komon is from Cheptais in Mount Elgon District. Komon won his first medals in cross country runningCross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
competitions, taking the junior silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 34th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 1-2 April 2006 in Fukuoka, Japan.The event was once again dominated by Ethiopian and Kenyan runners and also Eritrean runners...
and progressing to win the senior silver at the 2008 edition
2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Holyrood Park at Edinburgh, Scotland on 30 March 2008. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...
. He was the 2008 winner of the Cross Internacional de Soria
Cross Internacional de Soria
The Cross Internacional de Soria, also known as the Campo a Través Internacional de Soria, is an annual cross country running competition that takes place in Soria, Spain. First held in 1994, it usually takes place in late November and gained IAAF cross country permit meeting status in 2007...
. Komon was close to winning the bronze medal at the 2009 World Cross Country Championships in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, but he missed out by one second behind Zersenay Tadese and Moses Kipsiro
Moses Kipsiro
Moses Ndiema Kipsiro is a Ugandan long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres. He was the bronze medallist in the event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics...
.
He completed a strong 2009–2010 cross country season in Spain, finishing third in the Cross de la Constitucion (Alcobendas) and first in both the Cross de Itálica (Sevilla) and the Cross de Elgoibar (Basque Country). This marked him out a contender for a medal at the 2010 World Cross Country Championships in Poland. Having been among the leading four runners in the final lap at the championships, he looked set to claim third place but a late sprint in the final 100 m saw Moses Ndiema Kipsiro overhaul the Kenyan. They both recorded a time of 33:10 and Komon ended up in fourth, although his finish did help the Kenyan men (led by Joseph Ebuya
Joseph Ebuya
Joseph Ebuya is a Kenyan runner who specializes in the 5000 metres and was the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships champion.-Early life and career:...
) to the team gold medal – an exact repeat of his performance from the previous year. He set a personal best over 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
on the track at the 2009 Golden Gala
Golden Gala
Golden Gala is an annual track and field event at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.-History:...
in Rome, running 12:58.24 for third place behind 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...
and Mark Kiptoo
Mark Kiptoo
Mark Kosgey Kiptoo is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres.He was born in Lugari. One of his earliest major events was the 2007 Military World Games, where he won the 5000 m and took second place behind compatriot John Cheruiyot Korir over 10,000 metres...
.
In September 2010, at the Singelloop in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, the Netherlands, Komon ran a world record for the 10-kilometre road race with a time of 26:44 minutes. This was a seventeen-second improvement upon Micah Kogo
Micah Kogo
Micah Kemboi Kogo is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specializes in the 10,000 metres. He is the former world record holder in the 10 kilometres road race event with a time of 27:01, which he lost to countryman Leonard Komon on September 27, 2010...
's previous best as Komon became the first man under 27 minutes over the road distance. He continued his strong form at the Grand 10 Berlin
Grand 10 Berlin
The Grand 10 Berlin is an annual road running event over ten kilometres which is held in October in Berlin, Germany. It is officially known as the ASICS Grand 10 Berlin due to its sponsorship by the sportswear manufacturer...
race, where he took on former record holder Kogo and comprehensively beat him, finishing in 27:12 – over a minute ahead his rival. On November 21, 2010 Komon set his second world record of the year. Winning the Zevenheuvelenloop
Zevenheuvelenloop
Zevenheuvelenloop is an annual 15 kilometres road running race held in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. It was first organised in 1984 and has grown to be one of the largest road races in the Netherlands; it attracted over 30,000 runners in 2008...
15K in 41:13 minutes, he bettered the former mark held by Felix Limo
Felix Limo
Felix Limo is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon.Limo held the 15 Kilometres road running world record from November 2001 to November 2010, where he lost the record to Leonard Komon. Limo set his record of 41:29 minutes in Nijmegen, the Netherlands when winning the...
and Deriba Merga by sixteen seconds.
He began preparing for the cross country championships in January and came second at the Campaccio
Campaccio
The Campaccio is an annual cross country running competition which takes place in early January in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy. Organised by the Unione Sportiva Sangiorgese , the event attracts participation from Olympic and world champions in athletics, in spite of the fact that the host town...
race behind reigning champion Ebuya, then retained his title at the Cross de Itálica. A sixth place finish at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships brought him a spot for the World team. The governing body, Athletics Kenya
Athletics Kenya
Athletics Kenya is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Kenya. It is a member of the IAAF and Confederation of African Athletics. AK organises athletics competitions held in Kenya. It also sends Kenyan teams to international championships. Isaiah Kiplagat is the current chairman of...
, removed him from the team however, as he defied their orders not to compete at the World's Best 10K in February, at which he came fourth. He produced a course record time to win at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
that April. In October, he set his sights on running a 10-mile world record at the Great South Run
Great South Run
The Bupa Great South Run is an annual 10 miles road running race which takes place in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Launched in 1990, it is part of the Great Run series created by former British athlete Brendan Foster...
but a slow second half undid his initial quick pace, although he did beat Abel Kirui
Abel Kirui
Abel Kirui is a male long-distance runner from Kenya who competes in marathons. He had back-to-back wins in the World Championships Marathon in 2009 and 2011...
to win the race. He also won the Grand 10 Berlin race for a second time running that month. Turning to the grass circuits of Spain, he took a comfortable win over Kidane Tadesse at the Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio
Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio
The Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio is an annual cross country running competition that takes place in Llodio in the Basque Country, Spain around late November. The event was first held in February 1985 and changed to an end-of-year competition soon after, holding its second edition in December...
.
Achievements
| 2006 | World Cross Country Championships 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 34th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 1-2 April 2006 in Fukuoka, Japan.The event was once again dominated by Ethiopian and Kenyan runners and also Eritrean runners... |
Fukuoka Fukuoka, Fukuoka is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
2nd | Junior race |
| 2007 | World Cross Country Championships 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in Mombasa, Kenya on 24 March, 2007. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition... |
Mombasa Mombasa Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry.... , Kenya 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... |
4th | Junior race |
| 2008 | World Cross Country Championships 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Holyrood Park at Edinburgh, Scotland on 30 March 2008. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition... |
Edinburgh Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area... , Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... |
2nd | Senior race |
| 1st | Team competition | |||
| 2009 | World Cross Country Championships 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Al Bisharat Golf Course at Amman, Jordan on 28 March 2009. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition... |
Amman Amman Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost... , Jordan Jordan Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing... |
4th | Long race |
| 1st | Team | |||
| 2010 | World Cross Country Championships 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held at Myślęcinek Park in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 28 March 2010. It was the first time in over twenty years that Poland hosted the annual championships, having previously held them in Warsaw in 1987. Kenyan runners dominated the competition, taking... |
Bydgoszcz, Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
4th | Senior race |
| 1st | Team |
Personal bests
- 3000 metres3000 metresThe 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...
- 7:33.27 min (2009) - Two milesTwo milesThe 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...
- 8:22.57 min (2007) - 5000 metres5000 metresThe 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
- 12:58.24 min (2006) - 10,000 metres - 26:55.29 min (2011)
- 10K - 26:44 min (2010) WR
- 15K - 41:13 min (2010) WR
External links
- IAAF: Focus on Athletes - Leonard Patrick Komon, 16 March 2009