Silas Kiplagat

Silas Kiplagat (born 20 August 1989) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. He has a personal best of 3:27.64 minutes, which makes him the fifth fastest of all-time over the distance.[1]

Silas Kiplagat
Personal information
Born (1989-08-20) 20 August 1989
Siboh Village, Marakwet District, Kenya
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) (2012)
Weight56 kg (123 lb) (2012)
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)1500 m: 3:27:64 (2014)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Kenya
World Championships
2011 Daegu1500 m
Commonwealth Games
2010 New Delhi1500 m
Updated on 7 August 2012.

Born in Siboh Village, Marakwet District, he started training in seriousness for competitive running in 2008 after completing Chebara high school in Marakwet district. He met Sammy Kitwara and the professional trained with him and introduced him to his coach, Moses Kiptanui, a three-time world champion in the steeplechase. He initially wanted to follow Kitwara into longer distances, but Kiptanui recognised his speed and urged him to try shorter events instead.[2]

He tried his hand at cross country running and was seventeenth at the Kenyan National Cross Country Championships. An appearance at the World's Best 10K in Puerto Rico saw him finish in tenth place. It was only when he ran in the 1500 metres that he showed his true athletic potential: he won the race at the Kenya Prisons Championships and then was runner-up at the National Championships, beaten only by the reigning Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop. Italian coach Renato Canova assisting him technically introduced him to the Italian manager Gianni Demadonna that signed him up, gaining him a place in the 1500 m at the Herculis meeting in Monaco.[2]

His European debut marked a meteoric arrival onto the elite athletics scene – not only did he outrun more experienced runners such as Amine Laâlou and Augustine Choge, but he improved his personal best time by five seconds of 3:29.27 and raised himself into the top ten fastest runners ever for the event.[3][4] He gained selection for the event at the 2010 African Championships in Athletics and he just missed out on a medal, finishing fourth behind Mekonnen Gebremedhin.[5] He returned to Europe and won at the Internationales Stadionfest and was second at the Rieti Meeting to Asbel Kiprop.[6] After the close of the European summer track and field circuit, he represented Kenya at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. He and James Magut completed a Kenyan 1–2 as Kiplagat became the Commonwealth champion with a tactical performance to beat defending champion Nick Willis.[7]

He won silver at the 2011 World Championships, in a time of 3:35.92.[8]

He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics, finishing in 7th place in the finals, with a time of 3:36.19.[9]

References
  1. Rowbottom, Mike (2014-07-20). Kiplagat the prince of the track after Monaco 1500m win. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-07-20.
  2. James Wokabi and Mutwiri Mutuota (2010-07-30). Focus on Athletes – Silas Kiplagat. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-11-01.
  3. David Oliver wins hurdles at Monaco Diamond League meet. BBC Sport (2010-07-22). Retrieved on 2010-11-01.
  4. New 1500m stars emerge in Monaco – REPORT – Samsung Diamond League. IAAF (2010-07-22). Retrieved on 2010-11-01.
  5. Negash, Elshadai (2010-08-01). Kenya captures five gold medals as African champs conclude in Nairobi – African champs, day 5. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-11-01.
  6. 1500 Metres 2010. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-11-01.
  7. Rowbottom, Mike (2010-10-13). Women's relay team crowns Indian glory – Commonwealth Games, Day Seven. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-11-01.
  8. "IAAF: Silas KIPLAGAT | Profile". iaaf.org. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  9. "Silas Kiplagat Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
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