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 June 17, 1969) is a famous former long-distance runner from Kenya. He is known as one of the best long-distance runners ever. In 2003, he became the first Kenyan man to set a world record in the marathon. His record time was 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 55 seconds.

Later in his career, Paul Tergat focused mainly on marathons. He set many world records and won many awards. These wins were in track races, cross country races, and road races. Today, he lives and trains in Eldoret, Kenya.

Paul Tergat's Early Life

Paul Tergat was born on June 17, 1969. His birthplace was Riwo, in Kenya's Rift Valley Province. He went to Riwo Primary School. After that, he attended Kapkawa Boys High School. Unlike many athletes, Tergat discovered his running talent after finishing high school.

Paul Tergat's Running Career

Paul Tergat won the IAAF World Cross Country Championships five times in a row. He won from 1995 to 1999. This was a new record at the time. Tergat said he loved cross country the most. 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 km distance, which he set in 1995. His wins in the Saint Silvester race made him very popular in Brazil.

Rivalry with Haile Gebrselassie

Paul Tergat had a strong rivalry with his friend, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia. They often competed against each other. In the 10,000-meter finals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Gebrselassie beat Tergat. In 2000, Gebrselassie won by only nine-hundredths of a second.

Tergat also finished second to Gebrselassie in the 10,000-meter race. This happened at the 1997 and 1999 World Championships in Athletics. In the 1995 race, Tergat finished third. Gebrselassie and Moroccan Khalid Skah were ahead of him.

Setting World Records

On the track, Tergat broke Gebrselassie's 10,000-meter world record. This happened on August 22, 1997, in Brussels. His time was 26 minutes and 27.85 seconds. Gebrselassie broke this record again in 1998. However, Tergat's time is still the Kenyan record as of 2024.

On the road, Tergat broke the half marathon world record. He did this on April 4, 1998, in Milan. His time was 59 minutes and 17 seconds. The old record was 59 minutes and 47 seconds, set by Moses Tanui in 1993. Another Kenyan, Samuel Wanjiru, broke Tergat's half marathon world record in 2005.

When Tergat raced Gebrselassie in the London Marathon in 2002, Tergat won. He finished second behind the world record holder, Khalid Khannouchi. These three runners raced again in 2007. Tergat was the only one of them to finish that race.

In September 2013, Tergat became a member of the IOC. This happened at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires.

Paul Tergat's Marathon Achievements

Tergat finished 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 two more marathons. These were Chicago in 2002 and London in 2003.

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

He set the marathon world record of 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 55 seconds. This was on September 28, 2003, at the Berlin Marathon. This means he ran about 20.3 kilometers per hour. During this record-breaking race, Tergat hurt his foot badly. He said it felt like the bottom of his shoe fell off. He also took a wrong turn briefly near the finish line. His countryman, Sammy Korir, who was a pacesetter in the race, almost caught him. Korir finished second with a time of 2:04:56. This was the second-fastest marathon time ever at that point.

Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia broke Tergat's world record in 2007. Tergat's time remained the Kenyan record until 2009. That year, 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 a very close finish in Central Park. He beat defending champion Hendrick Ramaala by less than a second.

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

A week before the London Marathon on April 23, 2006, Tergat pulled a calf muscle. He called the injury "cruel." He had to withdraw from the race. This race would have been a big showdown with Haile Gebrselassie. Felix Limo of Kenya won that race.

Marílson Gomes dos Santos won the 2006 New York City Marathon. Tergat finished third. Gomes made a move at mile 19, and Tergat did not respond right away. However, Tergat steadily closed the distance over the last five miles.

Tergat finished sixth (2:08:06) at the 2007 London Marathon. This was in April 2007. The race had many top runners, including Haile Gebrselassie. Gebrselassie dropped out after about 30 kilometers. Kenya's Martin Lel won the race in 2:07:42 after a dramatic finish.

On September 30, 2007, Haile Gebrselassie broke Tergat's marathon record. He finished the Berlin Marathon in 2:04:26. Right after the race, Gebrselassie called Tergat to congratulate him. He also apologized for breaking his friend's record. Gebrselassie later explained, "I am sorry – this record belonged to Paul Tergat. Paul is my friend."

Tergat wanted to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics. However, he was not chosen to represent Kenya. He finished fourth in the New York Marathon later that year.

In 2009, he won the Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan. His time was 2:10:22. In October 2009, he was the special guest at the restart of the Belgrade Race Through History. He never won this race in the late 1990s. But 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 promoted Serbia's culture.

The New York Road Runners gave him the 2010 Abebe Bikila Award. This award recognized his achievements in long-distance running. He was the first Kenyan man to win it. When he accepted the award, he said, "The history of marathon running is incomplete without the solid and indelible mark of the late Abebe Bikila's contribution, and I am so proud to be associated [with this]."

Paul Tergat's 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, 2004 Summer Olympics Marathon

Paul Tergat's Personal Best Times

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

Other Activities and Contributions

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

In January 2004, Paul Tergat became a UN World Food Programme (WFP) "Ambassador Against Hunger." When he was a child, Tergat's family was very poor. They could not send him to school with food. Tergat said he would not have gotten a full education without the World Food Programme. The program provided lunch at his school.

In 2005, Tergat started the Paul Tergat Foundation. This foundation helps Kenyan athletes who are in need. He also runs a company called Fine Touch Communications. This company handles sports marketing and public relations. It helps organize the yearly Sportsman of the Year Awards in Kenya. This is done with Safaricom, a big mobile phone company in Kenya. He is also thinking about launching his own clothing line called "Tergat."

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

In April 2015, there were talks about Tergat leading a new committee. This committee would oversee Athletics Kenya (AK). This came after rumors that the Sports Cabinet Secretary, Hassan Wario, might close AK.

Tergat as an IOC member at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics

See also

In Spanish: Paul Tergat para niños