Sylvia Jebiwot Kibet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sylvia Jebiwot Kibet

Kibet (right) celebrating with Mercy Cherono at the 2011 World Championships
Medal record
Representing  Kenya
Women's athletics
Olympic Games
Bronze	2008 Beijing	5000 m
World Championships
Silver	2009 Berlin	5000 m
Silver	2011 Daegu	5000 m
All-Africa Games
Bronze	2007 Algiers	5000 m
Commonwealth Games
Silver	2010 Delhi	5000 m

Sylvia Jebiwott Kibet (born on March 28, 1984) is a professional long-distance runner from Kenya. She is famous for winning silver medals in the 5000 metres race at the World Championships in Athletics in both 2009 and 2011. Sylvia has also earned medals in the 5000 metres at other big events. These include the 2006 African Championships in Athletics, the 2007 All-Africa Games, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

She has often come very close to winning more medals. For example, she finished fourth at the 2007 World Championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She also placed fourth twice in the 3000 metres at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2008 and 2010.

Sylvia's Running Journey

Sylvia Kibet grew up in Kapchorwa, a place in Nandi District, Kenya. Her older sister, Hilda Kibet, is also a runner. Hilda now runs for the Netherlands, just like their cousin, Lornah Kiplagat. Running seems to be a family talent!

Starting Her Career

Sylvia first won a silver medal in the 1500 metres race at the 1999 World Youth Championships in Athletics. After this, she took a break from running. She got married to Erastus Limo, who was also a middle-distance runner.

Her Comeback to Athletics

After having a daughter, Sylvia returned to athletics in 2004. She lived in Iten, a small town near Eldoret. There, she met an Italian coach named Renato Canova and started training with him. By 2005, she began to reach international levels. She showed great improvement in her favorite race, the 5000 metres.

Major Achievements in the Mid-2000s

In 2006, Sylvia won a bronze medal in the 5000 metres at the African Championships. She also finished fifth in the 3000 metres at the World Athletics Final. The next year, in 2007, she earned another bronze medal at the All-Africa Games. She then placed fourth at the World Championships. At the World Athletics Final, she was fifth in the 3000 metres and second in the 5000 metres.

Setting Records and Winning Silver

In 2008, Sylvia set a new Kenyan indoor record for the 1500 metres. This happened at the BW-Bank Meeting in February. She also finished fourth at the World Indoor Championships. There, she set another Kenyan indoor record for the 3000 metres. Her first big outdoor medal came at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. She won the silver medal in the 5000 metres, finishing behind Vivian Cheruiyot.

More Races and Medals

Sylvia almost won a medal in the 3000 metres at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships. She was just beaten by Sentayehu Ejigu for the bronze. She also ran in the 2010 Women's 5K Challenge in London. She finished second to Linet Masai, not quite keeping her title from 2009. Sylvia then became the first woman to win a new 7 km race at the Memorial Peppe Greco. She beat Ejegayehu Dibaba in that race. Later, she won another 5000 metres silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Again, she finished behind Cheruiyot.

Continued Success

In March 2011, Sylvia won the Trofeo Alà dei Sardi cross country race. She also reached the podium once on the 2011 Diamond League circuit. She took third place in the 5000 metres at the DN Galan. She was chosen to represent Kenya again in the 5000 metres at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. Vivian Cheruiyot won the gold again, but Sylvia beat Meseret Defar in a close sprint. This earned her another silver medal. In 2012, she was runner-up at the Campaccio cross country race, finishing behind her younger teammate Mercy Cherono.

Later Career Highlights

Sylvia came close to a medal in the 3000 metres at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, finishing fourth. She was also fourth at the Kenyan 5000 metres trials. This meant she was not chosen for the 2012 London Olympics. However, she did well on the 2012 Diamond League Circuit. She had top three finishes in Doha, Monaco, and Lausanne. She ended up third overall in the rankings. In her first 10-mile race in September, she won the Dam tot Damloop. She finished her year with a win at the BOClassic.

Sylvia's Best Times

These are Sylvia Kibet's personal best times in different races:

• 1500 metres: 4 minutes, 8.57 seconds (2009), and 4 minutes, 5.33 seconds indoors (2010)
• 3000 metres: 8 minutes, 40.09 seconds (2006), and 8 minutes, 41.24 seconds indoors (2010)
• 5000 metres: 14 minutes, 31.91 seconds (2010)
• 10,000 metres: 30 minutes, 47.20 seconds (2009)
• Half marathon: 1 hour, 9 minutes, 51 seconds (2009)

Achievements Table

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Kenya
1999	World Youth Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	2nd	1500 m	4:24.43
2006	African Championships	Bambous, Mauritius	3rd	5000 m	15:57.14
	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	5th	3000 m
2007	All-Africa Games	Algiers, Algeria	3rd	5000 m	15:06.39
	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	4th	5000 m	14:59.26
	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	5th	3000 m
			2nd	5000 m
2008	World Indoor Championships	Valencia, Spain	4th	3000 m	8:41.82
	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	3rd	5000 m	15:44.96
	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	6th	3000 m
			6th	5000 m
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	2nd	5000m	14:58.33
	World Athletics Final	Thessaloniki, Greece	4th	5000 m
2010	World Indoor Championships	Doha, Qatar	4th	3000 m	8:52.16
	Commonwealth Games	New Delhi, India	2nd	5000 m	15:55.61
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	2nd	5000 m	14:56.21
2012	World Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	4th	3000 m	8:40.50

See also

In Spanish: Sylvia Kibet para niños