| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Kibet (right) celebrating with Mercy Cherono at the 2011 World Championships |
||
| Competitor for Kenya | ||
| Women's athletics | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 2009 Berlin | 5000 m |
| Silver | 2011 Daegu | 5000 m |
| All-Africa Games | ||
| Bronze | 2007 Algiers | 5000 m |
| Commonwealth Games | ||
| Silver | 2010 Delhi | 5000 m |
Sylvia Jebiwott Kibet (born 28 March 1984) is an Kenyan long-distance runner. She was the silver medallist at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in the 5000 metres. She also won medals over the distance at the 2006 African Championships in Athletics, the 2007 All-Africa Games and 2010 Commonwealth Games.
She has narrowly missed out on medals at major championships on a number of occasions, having finished fourth at the 2007 World Championships, 2008 Beijing Olympics and twice over 3000 metres at the IAAF World Indoor Championships (in 2008 and 2010).
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Kibet is from Kapchorwa, Nandi District. Her older sister Hilda Kibet is also a runner, who now represents the Netherlands, as does Lornah Kiplagat, their cousin.[1]
After winning the 1500 m silver medal at the 1999 World Youth Championships in Athletics, she took a break from athletics and married Erastus Limo, a former middle-distance runner. After giving birth to a daughter, she had her come-back in 2004. Living in Iten, a small town 30 km far from Eldoret, she met the Italian coach Renato Canova, and started training with him. She started to reach the international level in 2005, showing improving performances in her preferred event – the 5000 metres.[2]
She won the bronze medal in 5000 metres at the 2006 African Championships and finished fifth in 3000 metres at the 2006 World Athletics Final. In 2007 she won the bronze medal at the 2007 All-Africa Games and finished fourth at the 2007 World Championships,[3] and at the World Athletics Final she finished fifth in 3000 m and second in 5000 m.
In 2008 she set a national indoor record over 1500 m of 4:07.46 minutes at the BW-Bank Meeting in February. She finished fourth at the World Indoor Championships in a new Kenyan indoor record of 8:41.82 minutes. She won her first major outdoor medal at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, taking the silver medal in the 5000 metres behind Vivian Cheruiyot.
Kibet just missed out on a medal in the 3000 m at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, pipped to the bronze by Sentayehu Ejigu. She ran at the 2010 Women's 5K Challenge in London but failed to retain her title from 2009, finishing second to Linet Masai.[4] She became the first women's winner of a newly inaugurated 7 km race at the Memorial Peppe Greco, beating Ejegayehu Dibaba to the line.[5] She won the 5000 m silver behind Cheruiyot at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.[6]
In March 2011 she won at the Trofeo Alà dei Sardi cross country race[7]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | World Youth Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 2nd | 1500 m |
| 2006 | African Championships | Bambous, Mauritius | 3rd | 5000 m |
| World Athletics Final | Stuttgart, Germany | 5th | 3000 m | |
| 2007 | All-Africa Games | Algiers, Algeria | 3rd | 5000 m |
| World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 4th | 5000 m | |
| World Athletics Final | Stuttgart, Germany | 5th | 3000 m | |
| 2nd | 5000 m | |||
| 2008 | World Indoor Championships | Valencia, Spain | 4th | 3000 m |
| Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 4th | 5000 m | |
| World Athletics Final | Stuttgart, Germany | 6th | 3000 m | |
| 6th | 5000 m | |||
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 2nd | 5000m |
| World Athletics Final | Thessaloniki, Greece | 4th | 5000 m | |
| 2010 | World Indoor Championships | Doha, Qatar | 4th | 3000 m |
| Commonwealth Games | New Delhi, India | 2nd | 5000 m | |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 2nd | 5000m |