Nicholas Bett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nicholas Bett

Personal information
Born	(1990-01-27)27 January 1990 Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
Died	8 August 2018(2018-08-08) (aged 28) Nandi County, Kenya
Height	1.90 m
Weight	75 kg
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	400 metres hurdles
Club	Team Kenya
Coached by	Vincent Mumo Kiilu
Medal record Men's Athletics World Championships Gold 2015 Beijing 400 m hurdles African Championships Bronze 2014 Marrakesh 400 m hurdles Bronze 2014 Marrakesh 4 × 400 m relay

Nicholas Kiplagat Bett (born 27 January 1990 – died 8 August 2018) was a talented athlete from Kenya. He was known for competing in the 400 metres hurdles race. This event involves running 400 meters while jumping over ten hurdles.

Nicholas Bett's fastest time in this race was 47.79 seconds. He became a world champion in 2015, which was a huge achievement. He also won two bronze medals at the African Championships in Athletics. Sadly, Nicholas Bett passed away in a car accident in Kenya when he was 28 years old.

Nicholas Bett's Athletics Journey

Nicholas Bett first started competing at a national level in 2010. He was a junior finalist in Kenya that year. In 2011, he made a big step forward. He finished third at the Kenyan Athletics Championships with a time of 50.39 seconds.

After missing most of the 2012 season, he came back strong in 2013. He finished second at both the national championships and the world trials. He set a new personal best time of 49.70 seconds. This time made him the 53rd fastest in the world for that season.

Competing for Kenya

In 2014, Nicholas Bett finished second again at the national level. This earned him a spot on the Kenyan team for two big events. He competed in the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 African Championships in Athletics.

At the Commonwealth Games, he did not reach the final in the 400 metres hurdles. His team was also disqualified in the 4 × 400 metres relay race. However, at the African Championships, he had more success. He won a bronze medal in the 400 metres hurdles, setting a new personal best of 49.03 seconds. He also won another bronze medal with his teammates in the 4 × 400 metres relay. His teammates were Mark Mutai, Solomon Buoga, and Boniface Mucheru.

Becoming a World Champion

In 2015, Nicholas Bett started competing in international track and field events. He won races at the Savo Games and Lappeenranta Games in Finland. He then set an amazing personal best of 48.29 seconds at the 2015 Athletics Kenya World Championship Trials. This performance helped him get selected for the national team. It also made him the third-fastest hurdler in the world at that time.

His biggest moment came at the 2015 World Athletics Championship in Beijing, China. Nicholas Bett won the 400 metres hurdles event with a time of 47.79 seconds. This was a historic win for Kenya. It was the first time a Kenyan athlete had won a World Championships event shorter than 800 metres. His time in Beijing was the fastest in the world for the entire 2015 season.

Olympic Challenge

The 2016 season started slowly for Bett. His best time before the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was 49.31 seconds. Even so, he was still considered a favorite for the 400 metres hurdles event. This was because of his amazing win at the 2015 World Championships.

However, during the preliminary round at the Olympics, he made a mistake. He tripped over the last hurdle while he was in second place. He finished last in his heat and was later disqualified. This meant he did not move on to the semifinal.

Nicholas Bett's Family Life

Nicholas Bett had a twin brother named Aron Koech. Aron is also a 400 metres hurdler, just like Nicholas.

Nicholas Bett's Passing

Nicholas Bett died in a car accident on 8 August 2018. The accident happened near the town of Lessos in Nandi County, Kenya. He had returned from the 2018 African Championships in Athletics in Nigeria just two days before. He was driving on the road from Kapsabet to Eldoret, on his way back to Nairobi.

According to the local police, Nicholas Bett lost control of his car. The car hit a bump and went into a ditch. Sadly, he passed away instantly.

Nicholas Bett's International Results

¹Did not finish in the final

See also

In Spanish: Nicholas Bett para niños