Abel Kipsang Bele (born 22 November 1996) is a

Kenyan ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

who specializes in the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

. He placed fourth in the event at the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

. Kipsang won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

Career

Abel Kipsang gained his first experience at international championships at the

2019 African Games The 12th African Games was held from 19 to 31 August 2019 in Rabat, Morocco. This was the first time that the African Games were hosted by Morocco following the country's readmission to the African Union in January 2017. Bidding process The 12th ...

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

, where he finished fourth over 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 ...

in a time of 1:45.43 minutes. He set a personal best in the

of 3:32.6 in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

on 9 June 2021, before finishing third on 19 June at the Kenyan Olympic trials to secure his place at the delayed

. His mark from Marseille placed him in the top 10 worldwide. At the Tokyo Games on 5 August, Kipsang set a new

Olympic record Olympic records are the best performances in a specific event in that event's history in either the Summer Olympic Games or the Winter Olympic Games, including: * Archery (list) * Alpine skiing (records recognized only by FIS) * Athletics (list) ...

in the semifinals of the

1500 m The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

with a time of 3:31.65, further improving his personal best. This record was later broken by

Jakob Ingebrigtsen Jakob Ingebrigtsen (born 19 September 2000) is a Norwegian middle- and long-distance runner. He won the gold medal in the 1500 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, setting an Olympic and European record. At the 2022 World Athletics Championshi ...

who ran 3:28.32 in the final, where Kipsang set a new personal best of 3:29.56 for fourth.

Timothy Cheruiyot Timothy Cheruiyot (born 20 November 1995) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner specialising in the 1500 metres. He is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist in the event. At the World Athletics Championships, Cheruiyot won the silver medal in 20 ...

clinched silver in 3:29.01 while Josh Kerr was third clocking 3:29.05. In 2022, he became World Indoor Championship bronze medallist in

, setting a personal best of 3:33.36 and finishing behind

Samuel Tefera Samuel Tefera (born 23 October 1999) is an Ethiopian middle distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. At the age of 18, he became the 2018 World indoor champion, and defended his title at the 2022 World Indoor Championships, setting t ...

(3:32.77) and Ingebrigtsen (3:33.02). Selected for the 1500m at the

2023 World Athletics Championships The 2023 World Athletics Championships ( hu, 2023-as atlétikai világbajnokság), the nineteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships, are scheduled to be held from 19 August to 27 August 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. The city of Budapes ...

, he qualified for the final, in which he finished fourth overall.

Competition record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kipsang, Abel 1996 births Living people Kenyan male middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 2019 African Games World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists African Championships in Athletics winners 21st-century Kenyan people