Bernard Lagat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bernard Lagat

Lagat in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat
Nationality	American
Born	December 12, 1974 (1974-12-12) (age 50) Kapsabet, Kenya
Height	175 cm
Weight	59 kg
Sport
Country	United States  Kenya
Sport	Athletics/Track, Long-distance running
Event(s)	800 m – Marathon
College team	Washington State Cougars
Club	Nike
Turned pro	1998
Coached by	James Li
Achievements and titles
World finals	2001 Edmonton 1500 m, 2 Silver 2007 Osaka 1500 m, 1 Gold 5000 m, 1 Gold 2009 Berlin 1500 m, 3 Bronze 5000 m, 2 Silver 2011 Daegu 5000 m, 2 Silver 2013 Moscow 5000 m, 6th
Olympic finals	2000 Sydney 1500 m, 3 Bronze 2004 Athens 1500 m, 2 Silver 2008 Beijing 1500 m, 12th 5000 m, 9th 2012 London 5000 m, 4th 2016 Rio de Janeiro 5000 m, 5th
Personal best(s)	800 m: 1:46.00 (Berlin 2003) 1000 m: 2:16.18 (Gateshead 2008) 1500 m: 3:26.34 NR (Brussels 2001) One Mile: 3:47.28 (Rome 2001) 3000 m: 7:29.00(Rieti 2010) 5000 m: 12:53.60 (Monaco 2011) 10,000 m: 27:49.35 MWR (Palo Alto 2016) 10 km: 27:48 MWR (Manchester 2015) Half marathon: 62:00 MAR (Houston 2018) Marathon: 2:12:10 (Gold Coast 2019)
Medal record Men's athletics Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 1 1 World Championships 2 3 1 World Indoor Championships 3 2 0 Continental Cup 2 0 1 Universiade 1 0 0 Total 8 5 3 Representing  Kenya Olympic Games Silver 2004 Athens 1500 m Bronze 2000 Sydney 1500 m World Championships Silver 2001 Edmonton 1500 m World Indoor Championships Silver 2003 Birmingham 1500 m Gold 2004 Budapest 3000 m World Cup Gold 2002 Madrid 1500 m Representing  United States World Championships Gold 2007 Osaka 1500 m Gold 2007 Osaka 5000 m Silver 2009 Berlin 5000 m Silver 2011 Daegu 5000 m Bronze 2009 Berlin 1500 m World Indoor Championships Gold 2010 Doha 3000 m Gold 2012 Istanbul 3000 m Silver 2014 Sopot 3000 m World Cup Gold 2010 Split 3000 m Gold 2010 Split 5000 m Bronze 2014 Marrakech 3000 m

Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat (born December 12, 1974) is a famous runner. He competed in both middle and long-distance races. Bernard was born in Kapsabet, Kenya, but later became an American citizen.

He is known for his amazing speed in the 1500-meter race. His personal best time of 3:26.34 is still the Kenyan record. It's also the second-fastest 1500-meter time ever! After becoming an American, he set new American records in several races. These include the 1500 m, mile, 3000 m, and 5000 m.

Bernard Lagat competed in five Olympic Games. He also won 13 medals at World Championships and Olympics, including five gold medals. He even finished 5th in the 5000 m race at the Rio Olympics when he was 41 years old!

His coach for many years was James Li from the University of Arizona. Today, Bernard is a coach himself. He coaches cross country and is an assistant track and field coach at the University of Arizona.

Bernard's Early Life

Bernard Lagat grew up in Kaptel village, near Kapsabet, Kenya. He is from the Nandi group, which is part of the Kalenjin people.

He finished Kaptel High School in 1994. This is where he first started his running career. In 1996, he went to Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Nairobi. Later that year, he moved to Washington State University in the United States. Other great Kenyan runners like Henry Rono also studied there.

While at Washington State University, Bernard won three big college championships in 1998. He won the indoor mile, the indoor 3000 m, and the outdoor 5000 m. In 2000, he graduated with a degree in management information systems.

Bernard's family also includes other talented runners. His older sister, Mary Chepkemboi, won the 3000 m race in 1984. His younger sister, Viola Cheptoo, finished second in the 2021 New York City Marathon.

Running for Kenya (2000–2004)

Bernard Lagat first ran for Kenya at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In the 1500 m final, he won a bronze medal. This was a very close race!

The next year, in 2001, Bernard won a silver medal at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. He also set a new Kenyan National Record in the 1500 m. His time of 3:26.34 made him the second-fastest person ever in that race.

In 2003, Bernard won another silver medal at the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships in the 1500 m. In 2004, he won his first international gold medal. This was in the 3000 m at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He was very happy about his comeback.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Bernard won a silver medal in the 1500 m. He was ranked the number one 1500 m runner in the world that year.

Running for the United States (2005–Present)

Starting His American Career

In March 2005, Bernard Lagat announced he had become a citizen of the United States. This happened on May 7, 2004. Even though he became a U.S. citizen, he still ran for Kenya in the 2004 Olympics. He was allowed to keep his silver medal from those games.

After becoming an American, Bernard set several new American records. In 2005, he set indoor records for the mile (3:49.89) and the 1500 m (3:33.34). He also set an outdoor American record for the 1500 m (3:29.40).

Becoming a Double World Champion

At the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan, Bernard achieved something amazing. He became the first athlete to win both the 1500 m and 5000 m races at the same World Championships! This was a huge accomplishment.

Olympics and World Championships (2008-2009)

Bernard Lagat at the 2009 World Championships

In 2008, Bernard won both the 1500 m and 5000 m races at the U.S. Olympic Trials. This meant he would compete for Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. However, he did not win any medals at those Olympics. He later shared that he was running with an injured Achilles tendon. This injury affected his training and his performance. He called it "the biggest disappointment" in his career.

In 2009, Bernard started training hard again. He won the Wanamaker Mile race for the eighth time in 2010, breaking a record. At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, he won a bronze medal in the 1500 m and a silver medal in the 5000 m. Even though he was older than many competitors, he was still very motivated to win.

Later Career (2010-2016)

Bernard continued to set records. In 2010, he set a new American record for the indoor 5000 m (13:11.50). He also broke his own American record for the outdoor 5000 m (12:54.12). Later that year, he set another American record in the 3000 m (7:29.00).

At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Bernard won his second silver medal in a row in the 5000 m. He was beaten in a sprint finish by Mo Farah.

Lagat (center) winning the 5000 m race at the 2016 Olympic Trials

In 2012, Bernard set another American indoor record for the 5000 m (13:07.15). At the 2012 Olympics in London, he finished fourth in the 5000 m race.

Bernard won his fourth U.S. Indoor 3000 meters title in 2014. On June 27, 2014, at age 39, he won his seventh USA men's 5,000 title.

In 2016, Bernard ran his first 10,000 m race and won! His time of 27:49 seconds set a new world record for runners over 40 years old. On July 9, 2016, Bernard won the 5000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials. This qualified him for his fifth Olympic Games in Rio. At 41 years old, he became the oldest runner to represent the United States in track at the Summer Olympics. He finished 5th in the 5000 meters final at the Rio Olympics.

Bernard ran his last professional race on September 3, 2016. He finished second in the 3,000 meters at a meet in Berlin.

After Professional Running

In May 2017, Bernard helped as a pacer for Nike's "Breaking2" event. This was an attempt to run a marathon in under two hours. He also helped as a pacer for a similar event in October 2019.

On September 10, 2017, Bernard finished eighth in the Great North Run half marathon. In November 2018, he ran his first full marathon in New York City. He finished 18th with a time of 2:17:20. On February 29, 2020, he placed 18th in the Atlanta Olympic Trials Marathon.

Personal Life

Bernard Lagat lives in Tucson, Arizona, and Tübingen, Germany. He is married to Gladys Tom, whom he met at Washington State University. They have a son named Miika Kimutai (born in 2006) and a daughter named Gianna (born 2008).

In 2023, Bernard was honored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He received a "Great Immigrants Award." Bernard is Catholic.

He is currently the head cross country coach and an assistant track and field coach at the University of Arizona. He coaches distance runners during the track and field season.

International Competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result
Representing  Kenya
1999	Universiade	Palma de Mallorca, Spain	1st	1500 m	3:40.99
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	3rd	1500 m	3:32.44
2001	World Indoor Championships	Lisbon, Portugal	6th	3000 m	7:45.52
	Goodwill Games	Brisbane, Australia	5th	Mile	3:57.10
	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	2nd	1500 m	3:31.10
2002	African Championships	Radès, Tunisia	1st	1500 m	3:38.11
	World Cup	Madrid, Spain	1st	1500 m	3:31.201
2003	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	2nd	1500 m	3:42.62
2004	World Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	1st	3000 m	7:56.34
	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	2nd	1500 m	3:34.30
Representing the  United States
2007	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	1st	1500 m	3:34.77
			1st	5000 m	13:45.87
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	9th	5000 m	13:26.89
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	3rd	1500 m	3:36.20
			2nd	5000 m	13:17.33
2010	World Indoor Championships	Doha, Qatar	1st	3000 m	7:37.97
	Continental Cup	Split, Croatia	1st	3000 m	7:54.752
			1st	5000 m	13:58.232
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	2nd	5000 m	13:23.64
2012	World Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	1st	3000 m	7:41.44
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	4th	5000 m	13:42.99
2013	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	6th	5000 m	13:29.24
2014	World Indoor Championships	Sopot, Poland	2nd	3000 m	7:55.22
2016	Olympic Games	Rio, Brazil	5th	5000 m	13:06.78

¹Representing Africa
²Representing the Americas

Bernard's Running Records

Best Times

Former American Records

• Bernard's American record in the indoor 1500m and mile was broken in February 2023.
• His American record in the outdoor 1500m was broken in June 2023.
• His American record in the outdoor 3000m was broken in August 2022.
• His American record in the outdoor 5000m was broken in September 2022.
• Many of Bernard's American records were also North American Area Records.
• His time of 3:26.34 for the 1500 meters, set in 2001, is still the Kenyan and Commonwealth record. It is also the third-fastest time ever.
• The 3000 m and 5000 m times he set after turning 35 are also world records and American records for "Masters" athletes (older runners).
• He also holds the Masters World record in the 1500 m (3:32.51) set in 2010.
• He set the Masters World record for Age 40 in the 3000 m (7:48.33) in February 2015. He then broke his own record with 7:37.71 later that same month.

See also

In Spanish: Bernard Lagat para niños