Paul Tergat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paul Tergat

In May 2007, at a WFP meeting.
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Kenya
Olympic Games
Silver	1996 Atlanta	10,000 m
Silver	2000 Sydney	10,000 m
World Championships
Silver	1997 Athens	10,000 m
Silver	1999 Sevilla	10,000 m
Bronze	1995 Gothenburg	10,000 m
World Cross Country Championships
Gold	1995 Durham	Long race
Gold	1996 Stellenbosch	Long race
Gold	1997 Turin	Long race
Gold	1998 Marrakesh	Long race
Gold	1999 Belfast	Long race
Bronze	2000 Vilamoura	Long race
World Half Marathon Championships
Gold	1999 Palermo	Half marathon
Gold	2000 Veracruz	Half marathon

Paul Kibii Tergat (born 17 June 1969) is a famous Kenyan former professional long-distance runner. He was the first Kenyan man to set a world record in the marathon in 2003. His time was 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 55 seconds. Many people think he is one of the greatest long-distance runners of all time.

Towards the end of his running career, he focused only on the marathon. Tergat set several world records and won many titles. He won races on the track, in cross country, and on the road. He lives and trains in Eldoret, Kenya.

Early Life and Discovering Talent

Paul Tergat was born on June 17, 1969. He grew up in Riwo, in Kenya's Rift Valley Province. He went to Riwo Primary School and then Kapkawa Boys High School. Unlike many athletes, Tergat found his amazing running talent after he finished high school.

Paul Tergat's Running Career

Tergat won five IAAF World Cross Country Championships in a row. He won from 1995 to 1999. This was a record! Tergat said that cross country running was his favorite. He called it "my world, my passion."

He won the Lisbon Half Marathon in 2000. He set a new course record and his personal best time of 59 minutes and 6 seconds. He won this race again in 2005. Tergat also won the Saint Silvester Road Race five times. This is a very important street race in Latin America. He still holds the record for the 15-kilometer distance, which he set in 1995. His wins in this race made him very popular in Brazil.

Rivalry with Haile Gebrselassie

Paul Tergat had a strong but friendly rivalry with Haile Gebrselassie from Ethiopia. They often raced against each other. In the Olympic Games 10,000-meter finals, Gebrselassie beat Tergat by a tiny bit. This happened at both the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In 2000, Gebrselassie won by only nine-hundredths of a second!

Tergat also finished second to Gebrselassie in the 10,000-meter race at the 1997 and 1999 World Championships in Athletics. In 1995, he finished third in that race.

Breaking World Records

On August 22, 1997, Tergat broke Gebrselassie's 10,000-meter world record. He ran it in 26 minutes and 27.85 seconds in Brussels. Gebrselassie broke the record again in 1998. However, Tergat's time is still a Kenyan record as of 2024.

On April 4, 1998, Tergat broke the half marathon world record. He ran it in 59 minutes and 17 seconds in Milan. The old record was set by Moses Tanui in 1993. Another Kenyan runner, Samuel Wanjiru, broke Tergat's half marathon world record in 2005.

Tergat and Gebrselassie raced again in the London Marathon in 2002. This time, Tergat finished ahead of Gebrselassie. Tergat came in second place, behind the world record holder Khalid Khannouchi. They raced again in 2007, but Tergat was the only one of them to finish.

In September 2013, Tergat became a member of the IOC.

Marathon Achievements

Tergat started his marathon career by finishing second in his first three marathons. These were the London Marathon in 2001 and 2002, and the Chicago Marathon in 2001. He then finished fourth in the Chicago Marathon in 2002 and the London Marathon in 2003.

Tergat setting a new world record at the Berlin in 2003.

On September 28, 2003, Paul Tergat set a new world record for the marathon. He ran the Berlin Marathon in 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 55 seconds. This means he ran about 20.3 kilometers per hour! During this record-breaking race, Tergat hurt his foot badly. He also took a small wrong turn near the finish line. His countryman Sammy Korir, who was helping set the pace, almost caught up to him. Korir finished second with a time of 2:04:56. This was the second-fastest marathon time ever at that point.

Haile Gebrselassie broke Tergat's world record in 2007. However, Tergat's time remained the Kenyan record until 2009. In 2009, Duncan Kibet and James Kwambai both ran 2:04:27 at the Rotterdam Marathon.

Tergat won the New York City Marathon on November 6, 2005. He won in an exciting sprint finish in New York's Central Park. He beat the defending champion Hendrick Ramaala by a tiny fraction of a second.

In 2005, Tergat started the Baringo Half Marathon. This professional race is held near his hometown.

In April 2006, Tergat had to pull out of the London Marathon because of a calf muscle injury. He called the injury "cruel." This race was supposed to be another big showdown with Haile Gebrselassie. Felix Limo of Kenya won that race.

Tergat, Josette Sheeran Shiner and Drew Barrymore meet with Condoleezza Rice

Marílson Gomes dos Santos won the 2006 New York City Marathon. Tergat finished third in that race.

Tergat finished sixth at the 2007 London Marathon in April 2007. The race had many top runners, including Haile Gebrselassie. Kenya's Martin Lel won the race.

On September 30, 2007, Haile Gebrselassie broke Tergat's marathon record. He finished the Berlin Marathon in 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 26 seconds. After the race, Gebrselassie called Tergat to say sorry for breaking his record. Gebrselassie said, "Paul is my friend."

Tergat wanted to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics, but he was not chosen for the Kenyan team. He finished fourth in the New York Marathon later that year.

In 2009, he won the Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan. His time was 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 22 seconds.

In October 2009, he was a special guest at the relaunch of the Belgrade Race Through History. He never won this race in the 1990s. However, he was the only runner to compete in all of the first four races. He always finished in the top three. He said he wanted to end his career at this race. He also praised how the race showed off Serbia's history.

In 2010, the New York Road Runners gave him the Abebe Bikila Award. This award honors his achievements in long-distance running. He was the first Kenyan man to win it. He said he was proud to be linked to Abebe Bikila, who was a very important marathon runner.

International Competitions

Here are some of Paul Tergat's top results in international competitions:

• 1995
  • Gold medal, 1995 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
  • Bronze medal, 1995 World Championships in Athletics 10,000 m
• 1996
  • Silver medal, 1996 Summer Olympics 10,000 m
  • Gold medal, 1996 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
• 1997
  • Gold medal, 1997 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
  • Silver medal, 1997 World Championships in Athletics 10,000 m
• 1998
  • Gold medal, 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
  • Gold medal, IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
• 1999
  • Gold medal, 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
  • Silver medal, 1999 World Championships in Athletics 10,000 m
  • Gold medal, IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
• 2000
  • Bronze medal, 2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
  • Silver medal, 2000 Summer Olympics 10,000 m
  • Gold medal, IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
• 2004
  • 10th place, 2004 Summer Olympics Marathon

Personal Best Running Times

These are Paul Tergat's fastest times in different races:

Note: "+" means the time was set during a longer race. "a" means the course was slightly downhill.

Other Activities and Contributions

Tergat as an IOC member at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.

In January 2004, Paul Tergat became a World Food Programme (WFP) "Ambassador Against Hunger." When he was a child, his family was very poor. They could not send him to school with food. Tergat says he would not have gotten a full education if it wasn't for the World Food Program. They provided lunch at his school.

Tergat started the Paul Tergat Foundation in 2005. This foundation helps Kenyan sportspeople who are not as lucky. He also runs a company called Fine Touch Communications. This company helps with sports marketing and public relations. It organizes the yearly Sportsman of the Year Awards in Kenya.

Like many other Kenyan athletes, Tergat is part of the Armed Forces. He is based at the Moi Air Base in Nairobi.

As of April 2015, there were talks about Tergat leading a new committee. This committee would oversee Athletics Kenya (AK).

See also

In Spanish: Paul Tergat para niños