Wilson Kipketer
Wilson Kipketer (born
December 12,
1972) is a
Danish former
middle distance runner. He has set
world records at both the
800 and
1000 metre distances. While dominating the 800 m distance for a decade, remaining undefeated for a three-year period and running 8 of the 11 currently all-time fastest times, he never won an Olympic gold medal.
Kipketer was born in
Kapchemoyiwo, Kenya, into the
Kalenjin tribe.
As a teenager, he was first noticed by
1968 and
1972 Olympic champion
Kip Keino. Keino suggested Kipketer attend the
catholic St. Patrick's High School in
Iten that was famous for bringing up young runners.
In
1990, Kipketer travelled to
Denmark as a foreign
exchange student, studying
electronic engineering at the
Copenhagen University. He liked Denmark so much that he applied for Danish
citizenship. Kipketer competed for Denmark in the
1995 World Championships. It was there that he claimed his first
World Championship title in the 800 metres.
However, Kipketer was not a full citizen, and in
1996 the
International Olympic Committee disallowed him from competing for Denmark in the
Olympic Games in
Atlanta, USA. Despite his absence from the Olympics, there was no doubt that Kipketer was the strongest 800 m runner in the world that year. He remained undefeated throughout 1996 and came close to breaking the world record several times, setting a new personal best of 1.41.83 in Rieti at the end of the season.
In
1997 Kipketer was at the peak of his career. He tied
Sebastian Coe's World Record (1.41.73) for the 800 metres at a meeting in Stockholm. Coe's record had stood for sixteen years. He went on to break the record twice that year. At first, in Zurich in 1.41.24, the second time running 1
minute 41.11
seconds in Cologne. The same year saw him winning 800 m gold at the
Indoor World Championships in
Paris, France with an indoor world record time of 1:42.67 and the
1997 World Championships in Athletics at the
Olympic Stadium,
Athens, Greece when he led the race from start to finish.
The following season, Kipketer contracted
malaria and at first intended not to race at all. Eventually, he participated in the European Championships in Budapest but made physical contact with the eventual winner
Nils Schumann on the final straight and did not win a medal. He came back in
1999 by finishing second at the
Indoor World Championships and bettering that with a gold medal at the
World Championship. Then in
2000, he broke the world indoor record in the
1000 metres by running a 2:14.96. In the
2000 Summer Olympics in
Sydney, Australia, Kipketer took
silver in the 800 metres. In 2002, Kipketer won the gold medal at the European Championships in Munich, defeating the reigning world champion,
Andre Bucher and Olympic champion, Nils Schumann.
Despite fighting
injuries, Kipketer continued to compete through the 2003 season gaining a silver medal at the
Indoor World Championships at the
National Indoor Arena,
Birmingham,
England but only managing fourth place at the
World Championships later that year. In the
2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece Kipketer took a bronze medal in the 800 metres.
He married his Danish girlfriend Pernille in 2000.
He announced his retirement from competitive athletics in August 2005.
