Abel Kirui facts for kids
Kirui on the podium after winning gold at the 2011 World Championships
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 6 April 1982 | ||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||
| Country | Kenya | ||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Marathon | ||||||||||||||||
| Team | NN Running Team | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Abel Kirui is a famous long-distance runner from Kenya. He was born on April 6, 1982. Abel is best known for competing in marathon races. He achieved back-to-back wins at the World Athletics Championships in 2009 and 2011. This means he won the marathon title two times in a row!
In 2009, he won with a time of 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 54 seconds. Then, in 2011, he defended his title. He won by a huge lead of two minutes and 28 seconds. This was the biggest winning difference ever seen at the World Championship marathon event. Abel also won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London for the marathon.
Besides his World Championship and Olympic medals, Abel has won other big races. He won the Vienna City Marathon in 2008 and the 2016 Chicago Marathon. He also finished second in the 2007 Berlin Marathon and the 2017 Chicago Marathon.
Contents
Abel Kirui's Running Journey
How Abel Started Running
Abel Kirui began his running journey when he was a student at Samitui Primary School. After finishing high school, he didn't have a job. He decided to enter a special race organized by the Administration Police (AP). The person who won this race would get a job with the AP. Abel won the race and joined the police force. This is when he started training seriously as a runner.
Early Marathon Races
In 2006, Abel took part in the 2006 Berlin Marathon. He started as a "pacemaker." A pacemaker helps other runners keep a certain speed, but Abel finished the whole race in ninth place.
The next year, at the 2007 Berlin Marathon, Abel came in second. He finished behind the legendary runner Haile Gebrselassie, who set a new world record in that race. Abel's time of 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 51 seconds made him the sixth fastest marathon runner in the world that year. He also won the Paderborn Half-marathon in 2007. In 2008, he won the Vienna City Marathon and set a new record for that race with a time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 38 seconds.
Becoming a World Champion
In 2009, Abel finished third in the Rotterdam Marathon. His time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 4 seconds was very fast. It made him the sixth fastest marathon runner of all time back then. Later that year, on August 22, Abel won the gold medal at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. He beat his teammate Emmanuel Mutai, who won silver. Abel's winning time was 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 54 seconds.
Challenges and Comeback
After his big win in 2009, Abel faced some tough races. He finished fifth at the 2010 London Marathon. Then, he couldn't finish the 2011 London Marathon.
But Abel didn't give up! After that race, he started training with a famous Italian coach named Renato Canova. He moved to Iten, Kenya, to train with Canova's group. This new training helped him get back into amazing shape. He then went on to win his second World Championship title in Daegu, South Korea. This made him only the third man ever to win the marathon world title twice!
Olympic Silver and More Wins
Abel was chosen to be on the Kenyan marathon team for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics because he was the defending champion. He ran a time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 38 seconds. He beat his fellow Kenyan Vincent Kipruto and Ethiopian Feyisa Lilesa.
At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Abel won a silver medal. He finished with a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 27 seconds. He was just 26 seconds behind the winner, Stephen Kiprotich.
In 2016, Abel won the 2016 Chicago Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 23 seconds. He just barely beat Dickson Chumba by 3 seconds! The next year, in 2017, he finished second at the 2017 Chicago Marathon. He lost to the winner Galen Rupp by 28 seconds. Abel also finished fourth in both the 2017 London Marathon and the 2018 London Marathon.
Abel Kirui's Life Outside Running
Abel Kirui lives in a place called Nabkoi, which is east of Kapsabet in Kenya. He is married to Stella Jemeli, and they have a son named Tevin Kipchumba.
Abel is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He, along with other runners Priscah Jeptoo and Amos Tirop Matui, helped start something called the Better Living Marathon. This shows his dedication to his community and faith. His uncle, Michael Kosgei Rotich, is also a marathon runner. Abel is still coached by Renato Canova, the coach who helped him make his big comeback.
See also
In Spanish: Abel Kirui para niños
