Florence Kiplagat

Florence Kiplagat

Kiplagat at the 2011 Berlin Marathon
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Kenya
World Cross Country Championships
2009 Amman Long race
World Half Marathon Championships
2010 Nanning Half marathon
Commonwealth Games
2014 Glasgow 10000 m

Florence Jebet Kiplagat (born 27 February 1987) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She is a two-time world champion, having won at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. She is the current world record holder for the women's half marathon with her time of 1:05:09 hours.

She has also represented Kenya on the track, having won the silver medal over 5000 m at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics. She competed in the 10,000 m at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics and is the current Kenyan record holder in the event with her best of 30:11.53 minutes.

Career

Kiplagat studied at the Sirgoech Secondary School in Iten and she hoped to get a scholarship in the United States.[1] She failed to get a scholarship, but had a successful start for her running career.[2] She won the silver medal in 5000 m at the 2006 World Junior Championships. At the 2007 World Cross Country Championships she finished fifth in the senior race, while the Kenyan team of which she was a part won the silver medal in the team competition.

She was out of activity in 2008 after becoming a mother. After the motherhood, she started the collaboration with the Italian Coach Renato Canova, which produced great results, continuing today. She made comeback in early 2009 by winning the Elgoibar Cross Country and Cross Internacional de Itálica meetings in Spain.[3][4] She won the women race at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships ahead of compatriot Linet Masai. She became the second Kenyan to win the long race at the World Cross Country Championships, the first one was Hellen Chepngeno, who won in 1994.[5] On 14 June 2009 she finished 2nd in the 10,000 m race in Utrecht. Kiplagat's time, 30:11.53 was a Kenyan record. The previous national record (30:26.50), was set by Linet Masai at the 2008 Olympics.[6]

Florence Kiplagat did not defend her world cross-country title in 2010, as she was recovering from an injury.[7] She made her debut over the half marathon distance in September 2010 and managed to win first time, beating Peninah Arusei to the Lille Half Marathon title with a time of 1:07:40.[8] This was enough to gain selection for the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and she defeated Dire Tune in the final stages of the race to take the women's world title in only her second outing over the distance. She also led Kenya to another world team title alongside Arusei, her Lille rival.[9] Having taken global titles in cross country and road running, she stated her intention to focus on reaching the podium on the track at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and the 2012 London Olympics.[10] She ran in the 15K race at the Zevenheuvelenloop and was runner-up to Genet Getaneh,[11] but at the Sapporo Half Marathon she continued her undefeated streak over that distance.[12]

Kiplagat's marathon debut came at the 2011 Berlin Marathon and she started quickly, outpacing both Paula Radcliffe and Irina Mikitenko to claim her first victory in 2:19:44 hours – the third fastest run by a woman that year.[13] She was the favourite for the 2012 Egmond Half Marathon, but finished as runner-up behind Meseret Hailu.[14] She moved up to third on the all-time lists with a winning run of 1:06:38 hours at the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon.[15] She turned to the 10,000 m at the Prefontaine Classic and claimed the runner-up spot behind Tirunesh Dibaba.[16] She failed to make the Olympic team in the event, however, narrowly finishing fourth at the Kenyan trial race.[17]

She missed the rest of 2012, but returned at the RAK Half Marathon in February the next year and had her second fastest ever result (67:13 minutes), although the depth of the race left her in fifth.[18] She was one of the favourites entering the 2013 London Marathon but she underperformed, coming sixth in a time of 2:27:05 hours. In August she won the half marathon of Klagenfurt in 70:06 minutes.[19] The 2013 Berlin Marathon saw her top the field with her winning time of 2:21:13 hours, beating Sharon Cherop by over a minute.[20] The following month she won the Great South Run with a time of 53:53 minutes – two minutes clear of the rest of the competition.[21] A win at the Delhi Half Marathon closed a successful year.[22]

Kiplagat broke the half marathon world record by a significant margin at the Barcelona Half Marathon in February 2014, running 1:05:12 hours to beat Mary Keitany's old mark by 38 seconds. She also took the world record for the 20 km distance as well with a time of 1:01:56 hours.[23]

Kiplagat finished in second place at the 2014 London Marathon in a time of 2:20:24, being narrowly defeated by her (unrelated) compatriot Edna Kiplagat.[24]

In 2015, Kiplagat set the Half Marathon World Record with a time of 1:05:09 on 15 February in Barcelona, Spain.[25] She continued her 2015 season success with a victory at the 2015 Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:23:33 after pulling away from the competition in the 25th mile of the race.[26]

Personal life

Kiplagat comes from the Keiyo subtribe of the Kalenjin people and was born near Marakwet. She is married to Moses Mosop, who is also a Kenyan runner and the former Chicago Marathon course record holder. Marathon runner William Kiplagat is her uncle[1] She is coached by Renato Canova.[27]

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Kenya
2006 World Junior Championships Beijing, China 2nd 5000 m 15:32.34
2007 World Cross Country Championships Mombasa, Kenya 5th Long race (8 km) 27:26
2nd Team 26 pts
2009 World Cross Country Championships Amman, Jordan 1st Long race (8 km) 26:13
1st Team 14 pts
World Championships Berlin, Germany 12th 10,000 m 31:30.85
2010 World Half Marathon Championships Nanning, China 1st Half marathon 1:08:24
1st Team 3:26:59
2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow, Scotland 2nd 10,000 m 32:09.48

Personal bests

References

  1. 1 2 IAAF, 25 March 2009: A runner by default, Kiplagat now targets the ultimate prize – Amman 2009
  2. ↑ Daily Nation website, 30 March 2009: Reluctant athlete sprints to the top
  3. ↑ IAAF, 11 January 2009: Abshero and Kiplagat dominate at Elgoibar Cross Country
  4. ↑ Valiente, Emeterio (18 January 2009). Kipsiro stings Bekele, Kiplagat cruises in Seville Cross Country. IAAF. Retrieved on 24 October 2010.
  5. ↑ IAAF, 28 March 2009: Senior Women’s Race Report – Amman 2009
  6. ↑ IAAF, 15 June 2009: Melkamu stuns with 29:53.80 run in Utrecht
  7. ↑ Daily Nation, 13 February 2010; Kiplagat will not defend her world title
  8. ↑ Ramsak, Bob (6 September 2010). Fast Half Marathon debut for F. Kiplagat in Lille. IAAF. Retrieved on 7 September 2010.
  9. ↑ Ramsak, Bob (16 October 2010). Kiplagat kicks to gold – Women’s Race – Nanning 2010. IAAF. Retrieved on 23 October 2010.
  10. ↑ Ramsak, Bob (16 October 2010). Kiprop and Kiplagat take home rare double Half Marathon champs victory – Nanning 2010. IAAF. Retrieved on 23 October 2010.
  11. ↑ van Hemert, Wim (21 November 2010). Komon breaks World 15Km record in Nijmegen – UPDATED. IAAF. Retrieved on 27 November 2010.
  12. ↑ Nakamura, Ken (3 July 2011). Njui and Kiplagat win in Sapporo. IAAF. Retrieved on 5 July 2011.
  13. ↑ Butcher, Pat (25 September 2011). Makau stuns with 2:03:38 Marathon World record in Berlin! – UPDATED. IAAF. Retrieved on 9 January 2012.
  14. ↑ van Hemert, Wim (9 January 2012). In debut, Wolde sets course record at Egmond Half Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 9 January 2012.
  15. ↑ Sampaolo, Diego (26 February 2012). Kiplagat sizzles sub-1:07 at Roma-Ostia Half. IAAF. Retrieved on 14 May 2012.
  16. ↑ Gains, Paul (2 June 2012). Dibaba 30:24.39 and Kiprop 27:01.98 on stunning but wet first night in Eugene – Samsung Diamond League. IAAF. Retrieved on 3 June 2012.
  17. ↑ Mutwiri, Mutuota (15 June 2012). Cheruiyot takes Kenyan 10,000m Olympic Trials race in Nairobi. IAAF. Retrieved on 16 June 2012.
  18. ↑ Kabuu and Kipsang triumph in high-quality races at Ras al-Khaimah Half. IAAF (15 February 2013). Retrieved on 2 March 2013.
  19. ↑
  20. ↑ Butcher, Pat (29 September 2013). Kipsang sets World record of 2:03:23 at Berlin Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 28 October 2013.
  21. ↑ Kiplagat and Bett battle strong winds at Great South Run. IAAF (27 October 2013). Retrieved on 28 October 2013.
  22. ↑ Mulkeen, Jon (15 December 2013). Tsegay breaks course record at Delhi Half Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 22 February 2014.
  23. ↑ Minshull, Phil (16 February 2014). Florence Kiplagat flies to half marathon world record of 1:05:12 in Barcelona. IAAF. Retrieved on 22 February 2014.
  24. ↑ Brown, Matthew (13 April 2014). Kipsang and Kiplagat reign supreme in London. IAAF. Retrieved on 30 August 2014.
  25. ↑ http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/florence-kiplagat-half-marathon-world-record1
  26. ↑ "Florence Kiplagat Pulls Away Late to Win Chicago Marathon". Runner's World.
  27. ↑ 29 March 2009: Kiplagat commands the heights – Amman 2009

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