Bethwell Birgen (born 6 August 1988) is a Kenyan

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 ...

. His personal best of 3:30.77 minutes for 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 ...

ranks him among the top fifty ever for the event, while his indoor best of 3:34.65 minutes is among the top twenty. He represented Kenya in the 1500 m at the

2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the 14th edition of the global-level indoor track and field competition and was held between March 9–11, 2012 at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the first of four ...

and the

2013 World Championships in Athletics The 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Moscow 2013) () was an international athletics competition held in Moscow, Russia, from 10–18 August 2013. Initially, Russia won the most gold medals to top the table for the first time since 200 ...

, but did not make the final on either occasion.

Career

He made his first appearances on the European

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

circuit in 2009. He debuted with a personal best of 3:37.39 minutes for the

to take fourth at 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 ...

, reducing this by a further second and a half at the Leichtathletik-Gala in

Wattenscheid Wattenscheid () is a Stadtbezirk of the city of Bochum. Until 1975, it was a separate town in the Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia. Wattenscheid has a population of about 80,000 citizens. Some notable firms have their headquarters in there ...

, then placed fourth at the

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World C ...

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

.Bethwell Birgen
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2014-03-02. He was part of a mixed nations team in a 4×1500 metres relay at the

Memorial Van Damme The Memorial Van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now the final event of the Diamond L ...

and helped set the fourth fastest time ever for the infrequently contested event. He set two personal bests in 2010: he ran 3:35.60 minutes for the 1500 m and 7:39.65 for the

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

. He ran 3:34.59 to come seventh at the

Shanghai Diamond League The Diamond League Shanghai is an annual athletics event at the Shanghai Stadium in Shanghai, China as part of the Diamond League. The meeting was founded as the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in 2005. The meet assumed its current name in 2010. From ...

meeting in 2011, but failed to make the final at the Kenyan World Championships trials.Bethwell Birgen
. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-03-02. Birgen improved his times on the circuit significantly in 2012. He won the

Weltklasse in Karlsruhe Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe, formerly known as BW-Bank Meeting, is an annual indoor track and field competition which takes place in January or February in Karlsruhe, Germany. The meeting was first held at the Europahalle in 1985 and is currently a W ...

indoor meet and his time of 3:34.65 was the second fastest indoors that year. This, alongside runner-up placings at the

XL Galan The Globen Galan is an annual indoor athletics event held in February at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. The meeting was first held in 1990 and from 2000 to 2010 known as GE Galan, because General Electric was the official title sponsor ...

and

Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix The Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix, formerly known as Aviva Indoor Grand Prix, is an annual indoor track and field competition which is held in mid-February at the Arena Birmingham in Birmingham, England. It is one of a handful of events to hold IAA ...

earned him selection for the

, but on the global stage he was eliminated in the first round, the fastest runner not to progress. He knocked over three seconds off his 1500 m best at the

Doha Diamond League The Doha Diamond League is an annual one-day track and field meeting held at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar. It is part of the Diamond League – the top level international circuit for the sport. It is typically held in May as the fi ...

meet, coming third behind

Silas Kiplagat Silas Kiplagat (born 20 August 1989) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. He has a personal best of 3:27.64 minutes, which makes him the fifth fastest of all-time over the distance. Born in Siboh Village, Mar ...

and

Asbel Kiprop Asbel Kipruto Kiprop (born 30 June 1989) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner, who specialises in the 1500 metres. He was awarded the 1500 m gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics after the original winner, Rashid Ramzi, tested positive for ...

. A fourth-place finish in the

mile run The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...

at the

Prefontaine Classic The Prefontaine Classic, an Oregon Track Club event, is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States, held in Eugene, Oregon. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at Hayward Field on the campus of the University o ...

saw him set another personal best of 3:50.43 minutes. He did not make the Kenyan Olympic team, coming fifth at the trials, but continued to compete on the

2012 IAAF Diamond League The 2012 IAAF Diamond League (also known as the 2012 Samsung Diamond League for sponsorship purposes) was the third edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 11 May in Doha, Q ...

circuit. A run of 3:31.00 minutes ranked him seventh in the world that year, but only fifth in the quick race at

Herculis The Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Diamond League. World records Over the course of its history, five world reco ...

. He was runner-up at the

ISTAF Berlin The Internationales Stadionfest (ISTAF) is an annual track and field athletics meeting at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. It was first held in July 1921 at the Deutsches Stadion, which was replaced from 1937 by the Stadium of the 1936 Ol ...

and third at the Van Damme Memorial final. At the start of 2013 he won the

Russian Winter Meeting The Russian Winter Meeting (russian: Русская Зима) is an annual indoor track and field competition which is held at the Kutz Arena within the CSKA Universal Sports Hall in Moscow, Russia, every February. The event is part of the annual ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, narrowly holding of

Aman Wote Aman Wote Fete (Amharic: አማን ወጤ; born 18 April 1984) is an Ethiopian runner who specializes in mostly middle-distance events. He represented Ethiopia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Running career A late bloomer in the international stag ...

to finish in 3:35.25 minutes (the seconds fastest indoors that season). In the

2013 IAAF Diamond League The 2013 IAAF Diamond League is the fourth edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 10 May in Doha, Qatar and ended on 6 September in Brussels, Belgium. Calendar Results ...

meetings he finished outside of the top three at all but the

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...

meet, where he was runner-up. He had a repeat experience at the Monaco Herculis meeting, running a best of 3:30.77 minutes to rank fifth in the world, but fourth in the race. Despite disappointment on the track circuit, he was chosen to represent Kenya at the

. His brother Bernard Kiprop Koech was also running (in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

), making them one of several siblings to attend the event. In the World Championship 1500 metres he reached the semi-final but was tenth in that race and did not make the final. Birgen made another strong start to the indoor circuit, winning the

PSD Bank Meeting The PSD Bank Meeting was an annual indoor track and field competition which took place in February at the Arena-Sportpark in Düsseldorf, Germany. The inaugural edition ''1. Internationales Indoor Meeting Düsseldorf'' was held in 2006 and attrac ...

and was a close second to Silas Kiplagat the Russian Winter Meeting. He was chosen for the

2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the fifteenth edition of the international indoor track and field competition, organised by the IAAF. The event was held between 7–9 March 2014 at the Ergo Arena in Sopot, Poland. Prepar ...

as a result.Obiri leads Kenyan team for Sopot – IAAF World Indoor Championships
IAAF (2014-02-25). Retrieved on 2014-03-02.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Birgen, Bethwell Living people 1988 births Kenyan male middle-distance runners