Joan Chelimo Melly (born 10 November 1990) is a Kenyan and

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n female

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who competes in

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...

competitions. She is the 2018

Prague Half Marathon The Prague Half Marathon (known as the Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in Spring on the city streets of Prague, Czech Republic, first held in 1999. It ...

Champion and the winner of other prestigious road races such as

Berlin Half Marathon The Berlin Half Marathon is a major endurance event held annually in early spring in Berlin, Germany. Besides the runner's main race, the event includes a race for inline skaters, wheelchair athletes and handbikers. All athletes use the same co ...

, Boston 10K and

Boston Half Marathon Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most po ...

Career

Chelimo ran

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 ...

while at school, going up to the National Championship level. She began to compete in small road races in 2011, mainly running in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

for the next 3 years. During that period, she won several races, including the Valencia 10K in a course record of 32:17 and the OCP 10K Int’l de Khouribga where she set a then 31:41 personal best over the 10K distance. She ended her 2014 season with 3 consecutive victories, winning

Wachau Half Marathon The Wachau () is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway between the towns of Melk and Krems an der Donau, Krems that also ...

in 1:11:52, Swansea 10K and

Cardiff Half Marathon The Cardiff Half Marathon ( cy, Hanner Marathon Caerdydd) (previously known as the Cardiff Marathon) is an annual half marathon race held in the Welsh capital city of Cardiff, taking place in October. The event was established in 2003, initially ...

. Due to pregnancy, she skipped the 2015 season and returned to competition in September 2016 by placing sixth at the

Kericho Kericho is the biggest town in Kericho County located in the highlands west of the Kenyan Rift Valley. Standing on the edge of the Mau Forest, Kericho has a warm and temperate climate making it an ideal location for agriculture and in particul ...

10K. Chelimo made a strong comeback on the international scene by winning the 2017

in 1:08:45. In May, she finished second at

Le Puy-en-Velay Le Puy-en-Velay (, literally ''Le Puy in Velay''; oc, Lo Puèi de Velai ) is the prefecture of the Haute-Loire department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Located near the river Loire, the city is famous for its ca ...

15K before winning Boston 10K in a new best of 31:24"Chebii and Chelimo Secure Kenyan Sweep at B.A.A. 10

In September, she ended up second at the

Copenhagen Half Marathon The Copenhagen Half Marathon is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in September on the city streets of Copenhagen, Denmark, first held in 2015. It is a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, making it the foremost race ...

after leading most of the race, clocking a new personal best of 1:06:25, the seventh fastest time of the year. She came back to Boston in October and won her second

Boston Athletic Association The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) is a non-profit, running-focused, organized sports association for the Greater Boston area. The B.A.A. hosts such events as the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. 10K, the B.A.A. Half Marathon, the ...

event of the year by taking a commanding victory at the Boston Half Marathon in 1:10:31. 2018 started very well for Chelimo with a strong victory at the Elgeyo-Marakwet County Cross Country Championship. Three weeks later she became the ninth woman to ever run a half marathon under sixty-six minutes, finishing fourth at

Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. History The first event, in 2007, saw Samuel Wanjiru breaking the world record, but Wanjiru himself set a new world record only a month later in ...

with a new personal best of 1:05:37 in a race widely regarded as the greatest women’s half marathon ever held. Following her excellent performances and after going out under world-record pace for about seventeen kilometers, Chelimo won the 2018

in 1:05:04, becoming the 4th fastest women of all-time over the distance. In september, she ended-up third at the

after taking out the race at world-record pace for fifteen kilometer and getting overtake by dutch athlete

Sifan Hassan Sifan Hassan ( om, Siifan Hassan; born 1 January 1993) is an Ethiopian-born Dutch middle- and long-distance runner. She completed an unprecedented triple at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics winning gold medals in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres, ...

in the last two kilometers of the race. She then went on to win the 2018 Boston Half Marathon, defending her title and winning the race for the second consecutive time in 1:09:34. She won her last race of the season with ease at the

Montferland Run Pfixx Solar Montferland Run is an annual 15-kilometres road running competition held in 's-Heerenberg, Montferland, Netherlands. It was first organised in 1996 and typically takes place on the first Sunday in December. Unlike many elite level road ...

."Geen parcoursrecord bij Montferland Ru

Personal life

She is married and has a daughter named Ariana. She trains and lives in

Iten Iten is a town in Elgeyo-Marakwet County in the Republic of Kenya. Iten serves as the capital and is the largest town in the county. The town is located along the road between Eldoret and Kabarnet at the junction of the road heading to Kapsowar. ...

Road race wins

Personal bests

* 5K – 14:51 (2018) * 10K – 30:14 (2018) * 15K – 45:54 (2018) *

Half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

– 1:05:04 (2018)

References

External links

*
All Athletics profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chelimo, Joan 1990 births Living people Kenyan female long-distance runners