Luke Kibet
Encyclopedia
Luke Kibet is a Kenya
n long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon. He won the marathon race at the 2007 World Championships
.
division, Uasin Gishu District
. Famed Kenyan runners Samson Kitur
and Noah Ngeny
come from the same area.
Kibet took up running in 1996, aged 13, impressed by the Kenyan performances at the 1996 Summer Olympics
. He went to Moiben Secondary School from 1997 to 2000 and then joined Kenya Prisons Service.
Kibet originally specialized in the steeplechase
, his personal best being 8:25.4 minutes. In 2003, he won the Tilburg Ten Miles
race in Tilburg
, Netherlands
. He ran his first half marathon in 2003, finishing fourth in the City-Pier-City Loop
in Den Haag.
He took up the marathon in 2004 and reached the international level in this event. Kibet entered his first marathon, 2004 Enschede Marathon
, as a pacemaker
, but finished the race at 2nd position timing 2:11:06. He finished second also at the 2004 Frankfurt Marathon
. He also won a 25-km race in Berlin that year.
Kibet won Taipei Marathon in 2005 and 2006. His personal best time is 2:08:52 hours, achieved in October 2005 in Eindhoven where he finished third. In the half marathon
his personal best time is 1:00:43 hours, achieved in September 2006 in Rotterdam Half Marathon
, where he finished sixth.
in 2007. He won the gold medal at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
in a time of 2:15:59 hours. It was the first Kenyan marathon victory at the World Championships since Douglas Wakiihuri
in 1987. Kibet's win was a surprise given that before the race the Kenyan marathon team was termed by many as the "worst ever assembled".
On October 28, 2007 he won the Great South Run
10-mile race in Portsmouth
, England
.
Kibet took part at the 2008 London Marathon
and finished 11th, but was not well prepared due to injury. He was a late entrant to the 2008 Olympic Marathon
, after Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot
pulled out. Kibet did not finish the Olympic race. He finished the otherwise disappointing year by winning Singapore Marathon
in December, setting a new course record of 2:13:01.
He began the 2009 season by winning the Lagos Half Marathon on February. He did not finish his next marathon, London Marathon in April 2009, but he successfully defended the Singapore Marathon title, breaking again the course record (new record 2.11.25 minutes).
's training camp in Kaptagat
.
He in not be confused to another Kenyan marathon runner named Luke Kibet, who is eight years older and won the Country Music Marathon
in 2004.
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 who specializes in the marathon. He won the marathon race at the 2007 World Championships
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
.
Early career
Kibet was born in Kaplelach village, MoibenMoiben
Moiben is a settlement in Kenya's Rift Valley Province....
division, Uasin Gishu District
Uasin Gishu District
Uasin Gishu District is one of the seventy-one districts of Kenya, located in the Rift Valley Province. The city of Eldoret is its capital, administrative center and commercial center....
. Famed Kenyan runners Samson Kitur
Samson Kitur
Samson Kitur was a Kenyan athlete, and an Olympic medalist in 1992.Unlike most of his compatriots, who run in distances 800 metres and up, Kitur specialised in the 400 metres. He won the continental championship in 1991, and the next year he took the bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics,...
and Noah Ngeny
Noah Ngeny
Noah Kiprono Ngeny is a former Kenyan athlete, Olympic gold medalist at 1500 m at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and world record holder in the 1000 m.-Before Sydney:...
come from the same area.
Kibet took up running in 1996, aged 13, impressed by the Kenyan performances at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. He went to Moiben Secondary School from 1997 to 2000 and then joined Kenya Prisons Service.
Kibet originally specialized in the steeplechase
Steeplechase (athletics)
The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.-Rules:The length of the race is usually 3000 m; junior events are 2000 m, as women's events formerly were. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. Over 3000 m, each...
, his personal best being 8:25.4 minutes. In 2003, he won the Tilburg Ten Miles
Tilburg Ten Miles
Tilburg Ten Miles is an annual road running competition held in Tilburg, The Netherlands since 1988. Despite its name, it is a 10-miles competition only for men, while the women's competition is nowadays held over 10 kilometres. Since 2002 the competition has been held early September, previous...
race in Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He ran his first half marathon in 2003, finishing fourth in the City-Pier-City Loop
City-Pier-City Loop
The CPC Loop Den Haag is an annual half marathon competition held in the Hague, Netherlands, every mid-March....
in Den Haag.
He took up the marathon in 2004 and reached the international level in this event. Kibet entered his first marathon, 2004 Enschede Marathon
Enschede Marathon
The Enschede Marathon is an annual marathon race held in the city of Enschede, Netherlands. The race is the distance of a typical marathon . It has been held annually since 1991, after being bi-annual for the previous 44 years. The race crosses the German border through the city of Gronau...
, as a pacemaker
Pacemaker
An artificial pacemaker is a medical device that uses electrical impulses to regulate the beating of the heart.Pacemaker may also refer to:-Medicine:...
, but finished the race at 2nd position timing 2:11:06. He finished second also at the 2004 Frankfurt Marathon
Frankfurt Marathon
Frankfurt Marathon is an annual marathon held in Frankfurt, Germany in the month of October. The race, currently sponsored by BMW, is Germany's oldest city marathon.- List of winners :Key:- External links :***...
. He also won a 25-km race in Berlin that year.
Kibet won Taipei Marathon in 2005 and 2006. His personal best time is 2:08:52 hours, achieved in October 2005 in Eindhoven where he finished third. In the half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
his personal best time is 1:00:43 hours, achieved in September 2006 in Rotterdam Half Marathon
Rotterdam Half Marathon
The Rotterdam Half Marathon was an annual half marathon race over 21.1 kilometres, that was staged in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on the second Sunday in September. The event was contested from 2004 to 2009. It was discontinued in 2010 due to lacking participation.- Winners :-External links:* from...
, where he finished sixth.
World champion
Kibet won the Vienna MarathonVienna Marathon
The Vienna City Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195 km held in Vienna, Austria since 1984. The first edition was held on March 25, 1984 with a total of 794 competitors...
in 2007. He won the gold medal at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
in a time of 2:15:59 hours. It was the first Kenyan marathon victory at the World Championships since Douglas Wakiihuri
Douglas Wakiihuri
Douglas Wakiihuri is a former Kenyan long-distance runner, who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome. No other male Kenyan runner had ever won the marathon at World Championships or Olympic Games until 2007, when Luke Kibet became a world champion...
in 1987. Kibet's win was a surprise given that before the race the Kenyan marathon team was termed by many as the "worst ever assembled".
On October 28, 2007 he won 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...
10-mile race in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Later career
During the 2007-08 riots in Kenya, Kibet was attacked by a mob and hurt heavily by a stone, which hit his head.Kibet took part at the 2008 London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
and finished 11th, but was not well prepared due to injury. He was a late entrant to the 2008 Olympic Marathon
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon
The following new Olympic record was set during this competition.-Results:Key: = Olympic record, SB = Season Best, PB = Personal Best, DNF = Did Not Finish, DNS = Did Not Start-Intermediates:s.t. - same time.- External links :...
, after Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot
Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot
Robert "Mwafrika" Kipkoech Cheruiyot , sometimes known as Omar Ahmed, is a Kenyan marathon runner and is the former record holder and four-time winner of the Boston Marathon.- Early career :...
pulled out. Kibet did not finish the Olympic race. He finished the otherwise disappointing year by winning Singapore Marathon
Singapore Marathon
The Singapore Marathon is an annual international marathon race which is held on the first Sunday of December in the city of Singapore. It is an IAAF Silver Label Road Race...
in December, setting a new course record of 2:13:01.
He began the 2009 season by winning the Lagos Half Marathon on February. He did not finish his next marathon, London Marathon in April 2009, but he successfully defended the Singapore Marathon title, breaking again the course record (new record 2.11.25 minutes).
Personal life
Kibet is married to Lydia with two children (as of 2008). He currently does most of his training at Moses TanuiMoses Tanui
Moses Tanui is a former Kenyan long-distance runner who won the gold medal over 10000 m at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo....
's training camp in Kaptagat
Kaptagat
Kaptagat is a village near 40 kilometres east of Eldoret along the B54 Road in the Rift Valley Province, Kenya. It is located near the edge of the Great Rift Valley just to the southeast of the village of Chepkorio.. Administratively, it is a location in Ainabkoi division of Uasin Gishu District....
.
He in not be confused to another Kenyan marathon runner named Luke Kibet, who is eight years older and won the Country Music Marathon
Country Music Marathon
The Country Music Marathon is located in Nashville, TN. The route begins in Centennial Park and continues along many of Nashville's sights including music row, Belmont University, the State Capitol Building, the Cumberland River, Shelby Park, Shelby Bottoms Greenway, and ends outside LP Field,...
in 2004.
Achievements
| Representing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Amsterdam Marathon Amsterdam Marathon The Amsterdam Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195km held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands since 1975. It is one of the top ten marathons in the world.-History:... |
Amsterdam, Netherlands | 3rd | Marathon | 2:10:18 |
| 2007 | Vienna Marathon Vienna Marathon The Vienna City Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195 km held in Vienna, Austria since 1984. The first edition was held on March 25, 1984 with a total of 794 competitors... |
Vienna, Austria | 1st | Marathon | 2:10:07 |
| World Championships 2007 World Championships in Athletics The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007... |
Osaka, Japan | 1st | Marathon | 2:15:59 | |