Linet Masai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Linet Masai

Personal information
Born	5 December 1989 (1989-12-05) (age 35) Kapsokwony, Mount Elgon District, Kenya
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Kenya Olympic Games Bronze 2008 Beijing 10,000 m World Championships Gold 2009 Berlin 10,000 m Bronze 2011 Daegu 10,000 m World Cross Country Championships Gold 2007 Mombasa Junior race Silver 2009 Amman Senior race Silver 2010 Bydgoszcz Senior race Silver 2011 Punta Umbria Senior race Bronze 2008 Edinburgh Senior race African Championships Bronze 2010 Nairobi 10,000 m

Linet Chepkwemoi Masai (born 5 December 1989) is a famous Kenyan runner. She runs long distances in races on a track and across open fields. Linet became a world champion in 2009 when she won the 10,000 metres race.

She was the world junior cross country champion in 2007. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she set a new world junior record for the 10,000 metres. She finished fourth in that race. Later, in 2017, she was given the Olympic bronze medal. This happened because another runner, who had won silver, was found to have used a banned substance. This made Linet the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic medal in the 10,000 metres.

About Linet Masai

Early Life and Family

Linet Masai was born on December 5, 1989, in a town called Kapsokwony in Kenya. She grew up in a village nearby called Bugaa. Linet is one of ten children born to John Barasa Masai and Leonida Cherop.

She went to Kapsagom Primary School and then Bishop Okiring Secondary School, finishing in 2005. Linet started running in 2005. Her older brother, Moses Ndiema Masai, was also a successful runner. He won races at the African Junior Championships. Linet hoped to achieve similar success. Many of her younger siblings, Dennis, Ndiema, and Magdaline, are also runners. Their father, John Barasa Masai, used to run too. Linet trains at a special camp in Kaptagat.

Her Running Journey

Early Success and First World Title

Linet won her first big race in 2007. This was the women's junior race at the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya. She also competed in other races that year, showing her talent.

Her big year was 2008. She won a bronze medal at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Later that summer, she competed in the Olympic Games. She finished third in the 10,000 metres race. She set a new world junior record for this distance. This record was 30 minutes and 26.50 seconds. It was also a new Kenyan record at the time.

In August 2009, Linet won her first world title. She won the 10,000 metres race at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany. She just barely beat Meselech Melkamu from Ethiopia. The famous champion Tirunesh Dibaba was not able to race due to an injury. Linet also won awards like the "Female Runner of the Year" and "Kenyan Sportswoman of the Year" in 2009.

Cross Country Races

Linet was very strong in cross country running. She won several races in Spain in 2010. At the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, she led for most of the race. But Emily Chebet passed her at the very end, and Linet finished second. This was the second time she was a runner-up in this championship.

She also ran in her first race in America, the NYRR New York Mini 10K, and won it. In August, she won the Women's 5K Challenge in London. She competed in the 2010 African Championships in Athletics and won a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres.

In 2011, Linet won the Great Edinburgh Cross Country race. She finished second again at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. This was her third time being a runner-up in a row. She really wanted to win the world title.

Later Career Highlights

In 2011, Linet also competed in the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. She tried to defend her 10,000 metres title. But she finished third, winning a bronze medal. This was part of a great performance by the Kenyan team, who took the top four places. She also ran in the 5000 metres race, finishing sixth.

In 2012, Linet won two big cross country races in Spain. She also won the Great Manchester Run. However, she did not finish the Kenyan trial race for the 10,000 metres. This meant she would not compete in that event internationally for the first time since 2008. She also did not qualify for the Olympics that year.

Major Achievements

Best Running Times

These are Linet Masai's fastest times in different races:

• 3000 metres – 8 minutes, 38.97 seconds (2007)
• 5000 metres – 14 minutes, 31.14 seconds (2010)
• 10,000 metres – 30 minutes, 26.50 seconds (2008)
• 10 kilometres – 30 minutes, 48 seconds (2010)

See also

In Spanish: Linet Masai para niños