Moses Mosop facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Moses Mosop

Mosop during Prague International Marathon in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Moses Cheruiyot Mosop (Kimosop)
Born	(1985-07-07) 7 July 1985 (age 39) Kamasia, Marakwet District, Rift Valley Province, Kenya
Height	152 cm
Weight	50 kg
Medal record Men's athletics Representing Kenya World Championships Bronze 2005 Helsinki 10,000 m World Cross Country Championships Gold 2007 Mombasa Team Gold 2009 Amman Team Silver 2007 Mombasa Individual
Updated on 16 June 2015.

Moses Cheruiyot Mosop (born on July 7, 1985) is a famous runner from Kenya. He is known for competing in both middle-distance and long-distance races. These races involve running different lengths on a track or road.

Moses Mosop represented Kenya at the 2004 Olympic Games. He later won a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres race at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. He has also been very successful in cross country running, which involves running over natural terrain like grass and hills. He won a silver medal at the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He also helped Kenya win team gold medals in 2007 and 2009.

In 2011, at the 2011 Boston Marathon, Moses Mosop and his fellow Kenyan runner Geoffrey Mutai ran incredibly fast times. They set what were then the fastest marathon times ever recorded. They broke the previous Boston course record by almost three minutes!

Moses Mosop's Running Journey

Starting Out as a Runner

Moses Mosop was born in a place called Kamasia in the Marakwet District of Kenya. He started running when he was in primary school. Later, he went to Marakwet High School.

He was good enough to compete in the 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Belfast. There, he finished tenth in the junior race. After this, he joined the management team of Gianni Demadonna. He also started being coached by Renato Canova, who helped him develop his running skills from a young age.

At the 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Lausanne, he did even better, finishing 7th in the junior race. In 2003, he came in fifth in the 10,000 metres race at the All-Africa Games.

Moses Mosop made his first appearance at the Olympic Games in 2004 Athens Olympics. He finished seventh in the 10,000 metres final. He also won the Giro Podistico di Pettinengo 9.6 km race in 2004.

Winning Medals and Setting Records

In March 2005, he won the Almond Blossom Cross Country race. Soon after, he placed 18th at the 2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He then competed in the 10,000 metres at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. He won a bronze medal and set his personal best time of 27 minutes and 8.96 seconds.

Moses Mosop also runs shorter races like the 3000 metres and 5000 metres. His best times for these events are 7 minutes 36 seconds and 12 minutes 54 seconds.

He achieved even more success at the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He finished second in the main race and helped Kenya win the team gold medal. He also won the Giro al Sas 10K race two years in a row, in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, he won the Cross di Alà dei Sardi in Sardinia.

He returned to world competition at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Even though he finished eleventh individually, he still won a team gold medal with Kenya.

In 2010, Moses Mosop won the men's race at the Stramilano Half Marathon. He finished with a time of 59 minutes and 20 seconds. His coach believed he was becoming a strong road runner and might start running marathons. He finished second at the Giro Media Blenio 10K race. He was also chosen for the Kenyan team at the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, where he finished tenth.

Marathon Debut and World Records in 2011

Moses Mosop's first race in 2011 was the Paris Half Marathon, where he came in second. On April 18, 2011, he ran his very first marathon at the Boston Marathon. He finished second with an amazing time of 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 6 seconds.

He and his fellow Kenyan runner Geoffrey Mutai ran what were, at the time, the fastest marathon times ever recorded. They broke the previous world record by almost a minute! They also shattered the Boston course record by nearly three minutes. The weather was perfect, with cool temperatures and a strong tailwind. This helped them run so fast.

The two Kenyans pulled away from the other runners at the 30-kilometre mark. They ran side-by-side for the last 12 kilometres. In the final sprint, Mutai won by just four seconds.

However, these times were not officially recognized as world records. This is because the Boston Marathon course goes mostly downhill and from one point to another. Official marathon records usually need to be set on a loop course. This helps make sure that wind and elevation changes don't give runners an unfair advantage.

In 2011, Moses Mosop also tried to break the world record for the 30,000 metres race on a track. He completely broke the 30-year-old record set by Toshihiko Seko. He ran the race in 1 hour, 26 minutes, and 47.4 seconds, which was over two and a half minutes faster! He also broke Seko's 25,000 metres record by a minute and a half.

On October 9, 2011, Mosop won the Chicago Marathon. His time was 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 37 seconds. This beat the course record set by Sammy Wanjiru by four seconds.

In early 2012, he finished sixth at the Paris Half Marathon. This was to prepare for the Rotterdam Marathon the next month. He was expected to win the Rotterdam Marathon and even try to break the world record. However, he finished third with a time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 3 seconds. He was chosen for Kenya's Olympic marathon team, but an injury forced him to withdraw.

Moses Mosop's Family Life

In 2005, it was reported that Moses Mosop was married to Rose Cheruiyot and they had a daughter. By 2010, he was married to another runner, Florence Kiplagat. They have a daughter named Aisha. Moses Mosop's brothers, Elias Mosop and Philemon Mosop, are also runners.

Moses Mosop's Best Times

(*) This time was set on a downhill and point-to-point course.

• All information taken from IAAF profile.

International Competitions

Marathon Results

See also

In Spanish: Moses Mosop para niños