Abubaker Kaki Khamis (; born 21 June 1989) is a
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
ese runner who specializes in the
800 metres
The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...
. He is a two-time
World Indoor Champion over the distance and also won gold at the
2007 All-Africa Games. He represented Sudan at the
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. He is a member of the
Messiria ethnic minority.
Running career
In February 2008 he ran a world-leading 2:15.7 in the 1000 m indoors in Sweden. On March 9, 2008, in Valencia, Kaki became the youngest ever World Indoor champion after winning the 800 m final at age 18 years and 262 days. On June 6, 2008, he won the
Bislett Games
The Bislett Games is an annual track and field meeting at the Bislett Stadium in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League.
History
The first international athletics meeting at Bislet ...
Golden League meeting in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
by running 1:42.69, a new
world junior record. The previous record (1:43.64) was set by
Japheth Kimutai
Japheth Kimutai (born December 20, 1978, in Lelmokwo, Nandi District) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialized in 800 metres.
In 1998 he won the gold medal at the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in a time of 1:43.82. In the same year h ...
of Kenya in 1997. The following month he entered the
2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics as the 800 m favorite. He was closely followed by
Geoffrey Kibet Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to:
People
* Geoffrey (name), including a list of people with the name
* Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–c. 1155), clergyman and one of the ...
in the final but he managed to pull clear on the final
straight
Straight may refer to:
Slang
* Straight, slang for heterosexual
** Straight-acting, an LGBT person who does not exhibit the appearance or mannerisms of the gay stereotype
* Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture
Sport and games
* ...
to win the
gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
.
Kaki finished 8th in the third semi-final for the 800 m and did not advance to the final at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. In the 2009 World Championships in Berlin he tripped in the semi-final, and did not complete the race.
Kaki retained his title at the
2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010.
Bidding and organisation
Th ...
at the age of twenty, becoming only the second athlete after
Paul Ereng
Paul Ereng (born 22 August 1966) is a former Kenyan athlete, and the surprise winner of the 800 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Born in Kitale
Kitale is an agricultural town in northern Rift Valley Kenya situated between Mount Elgon and th ...
to complete the feat in the men's 800 m. In the outdoor season, he made his first appearance in the
2010 IAAF Diamond League in an 800 m match-up against
David Rudisha
David Lekuta Rudisha, MBS (born 17 December 1988) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. He is a two-time back-to-back Olympic champion from the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics, a two-time World champion from t ...
. Both runners defeated
Sebastian Coe
Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, (born 29 September 1956), often referred to as Seb Coe, is a British politician and former track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, including 1500 metres gold medal ...
's 31-year-old meeting record, but Kaki was not fast enough to beat Rudisha. Kaki's time of 1:42.23 was a new
Sudanese record and, at the time, the fastest 800 m time ever recorded for a non-winning athlete. He won at the
Memorial Primo Nebiolo
The Memorial Primo Nebiolo is an annual track and field meeting held at the Stadio Primo Nebiolo (Turin), Stadio Primo Nebiolo in Turin, Italy in early June.
History
The history of the Turin competition dates back to 1963, when the Torino Meeting ...
later that month in another quick time of 1:43.48.
[Sampaolo, Diego (2010-06-13)]
Kaki scorches 1:43.48, Robles improves to 13.08 in Turin
IAAF
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
. Retrieved on 2010-06-14. Since then he made the 800m final at the London 2012 Olympic Games where he finished 7th in 1.43.32, a season's best performance.
Achievements
Personal bests
All Information taken from IAAF profile.[IAAF, Kaki Abubaker biography:]
Kaki Abubaker biography
/ref>
Key: † = National record
References
External links
*
Read Abubaker Kaki Khamis' Rising Star profile on spikesmag.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaki Khamis, Abubaker
1989 births
Living people
People from West Kurdufan
Sudanese male middle-distance runners
Olympic athletes of Sudan
Olympic male middle-distance runners
Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
World Athletics Championships medalists
World Athletics Championships athletes for Sudan
African Games gold medalists for Sudan
African Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 All-Africa Games
World Athletics Indoor Championships winners