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, born on April 6, 1982, is a famous long-distance runner from Kenya. He is best known for competing in marathons, which are very long races. Abel made history by winning the World Championship marathon two times in a row, in 2009 and 2011.
In 2009, he won with a great time of 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 54 seconds. When he defended his title in 2011, 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. He also won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London for the marathon.
Abel has also won other big races. These include the 2008 Vienna City Marathon 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
Starting to Run
Abel Kirui started running when he was a young student at Samitui Primary School. After finishing high school, he didn't have a job. He decided to enter a special race held 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 for running. His first big race was the 2006 Berlin Marathon. He began as a "pacemaker," which means he ran to help other runners keep a certain speed. Even though he was a pacemaker, he finished the race in ninth place.
Big Races and Victories
In 2007, Abel ran the 2007 Berlin Marathon again. He finished second with a time of 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 51 seconds. The winner was Haile Gebrselassie, who set a new world record in that race. Abel's time made him the sixth fastest marathon runner in the world that year. He also won the Paderborn Half-marathon in 2007.
In 2008, Abel won the Vienna City Marathon. He set a new record for that race with a time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 38 seconds.
In 2009, he came third in the Rotterdam Marathon. His time was 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 4 seconds. This made him the sixth fastest marathon runner of all time back then. Later that year, on August 22, Abel won a gold medal at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. He finished with a time of 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 54 seconds, beating his teammate Emmanuel Mutai.
Defending His Title
After his big win in 2009, Abel had some tough races. He finished fifth at the 2010 London Marathon. He even had to stop before finishing the 2011 London Marathon.
After this, he started training with a famous Italian coach named Renato Canova. Abel moved to Iten, Kenya, to train with Canova's group. This training helped him get back into top shape. He then won his second World Championship title in Daegu, South Korea.
At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Abel was given a special spot on the Kenyan team because he was the defending champion. He ran the marathon in 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 38 seconds. He beat Vincent Kipruto from Kenya and Feyisa Lilesa from Ethiopia. This win made Abel Kirui only the third man ever to win the marathon world title two times in a row.
Olympic and Other Achievements
Abel Kirui won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He finished the marathon in 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 three 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 ran in the 2017 London Marathon, finishing fourth. In 2018, he again finished fourth at the 2018 London Marathon.
About Abel Kirui
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, started something called the Better Living Marathon. This event helps promote a healthy lifestyle. His uncle, Michael Kosgei Rotich, is also a marathon runner. Abel is coached by Renato Canova, who has helped him achieve many of his successes.
See also
In Spanish: Abel Kirui para niños
