James Kiplagat Magut (born 20 July 1990) is a Kenyan from Nandi County Kosirai ward

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 specialises 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 has a personal best of 3:30.61 minutes for the event as well as a best of 3:50.68 minutes for 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 ...

. He won his first medals as a teenager, taking second at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics and winning the 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships. His first senior podium finish soon followed: on his major international debut at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...

, he claimed the silver medal. He was the bronze medallist at the 2012 African Championships in Athletics. Magut was part of the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

-setting 4×1500 metres relay team that won the gold medal at the 2014 IAAF World Relays.

Career

Born in

Nandi County Nandi County is a county in Kenya in the North Rift, occupying an area of 2,884.4 square kilometres. Its capital, Kapsabet, is the largest town in the county while other towns include Mosoriot, Tinderet, Kobujoi, Kaiboi, Kabiyet and Nandi ...

, Magut gained his first national selection after a runner-up finish in the 1500 m at the Kenyan junior championships. At the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics, he seemed set to win the title but Algeria's

Imad Touil Imad Touil (born 11 February 1989) is an Algerian middle distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. At the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Bydgoszcz, Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a coun ...

narrowly beat him into second place by a tenth of a second. Following this he performed in Europe for the first time, finishing in the top ten at the

Rieti Meeting The Rieti Meeting is an annual athletics event at the Stadio Raul Guidobaldi in Rieti, Italy that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF World Challenge. It was fi ...

and

Hanžeković Memorial Hanžeković Memorial ( hr, Hanžekovićev memorijal) is an athletics event at the Sportski Park Mladost athletic stadium in Zagreb, Croatia as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. It was first organized in 1951. ''Hanžek'' (which is the ...

.James Magut
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 28 May 2014. The next year, the eighteen-year-old runner won the Kenyan high school championship, holding off Nixon Chepseba. He topped the podium at the 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships. He competed infrequently the year after, but in spite of this won his first major medal in the form of a silver 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 ...

at the

. Magut missed the 2011 season due to a knee injury,Lee, Kirby (2 June 2012)
Dibaba 30:24.39 and Kiprop 27:01.98 on stunning but wet first night in Eugene – Samsung Diamond League
IAAF. Retrieved on 28 May 2014. but returned in May 2012 with a win at the Kenyan Armed Forces Championships, then his first sub-

four-minute mile A four-minute mile is the completion of a mile run (1609 m) in four minutes or less. It was first achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister, at age 25, in 3:59.4. As of April 2021, the "four-minute barrier" has been broken by 1,663 athletes, and is n ...

to win 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 ...

meeting. He set a new best of 3:50.68 for the distance at the Dream Mile 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 ...

a week later – this was only enough for sixth at the higher calibre event, but still ranked him the eighth fastest runner that year. He ran a 1500 m personal best of 3:34.60 minutes to place second at the national championship race, but faltered at the Kenyan Olympic trials, coming in sixth place and failing to break 3:40 minutes. This run still earned him a spot on the team for the 2012 African Championships in Athletics, where he took the bronze medal, half a second behind the winner Caleb Mwangangi. Magut came third 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 Ch ...

(his first top three placing on the

IAAF Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

) and peaked for the season at the Hanžeković Memorial, winning with a personal best of 3:33.31 minutes. At the start of his 2013 season, he won at the

Melbourne Track Classic Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

, then in the Prefontaine Classic mile. He was third at the Bislett Games and was runner-up at the national championships. He did not finish in the top three at the Kenyan World Championships trials and failed to finish at the Herculis and

DN Galan BAUHAUS-galan, formerly known as DN-Galan is an annual, international athletics meeting that takes place at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm. Previously it was one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events until 2010, and has since been part of th ...

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 ...

meets. His best run that year came at the

London Grand Prix The London Diamond League, formerly known as the London Grand Prix and subsequently as the Anniversary Games, is an annual athletics event held in London, England. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Dia ...

, where he was third in the mile in a near personal best of 3:50.93 minutes, ranking him eighth that year for the distance. Magut had a string of victories in Australia in early 2014, winning in Melbourne,

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

and

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. A personal best for the 1500 m followed 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, although his time of 3:30.61 minutes placed him fifth in the quick race. These performances earned him a place on the Kenyan 4×1500 metres relay team for the inaugural 2014 IAAF World Relays. Running alongside

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 ...

and

Collins Cheboi Collins Cheboi Kiprotich (born 25 September 1987) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. His personal best for the event is 3:31.53 minutes. He was a silver medallist at the 2011 All-Africa Games and was part of th ...

, the group won the gold medal in a

-breaking time of 14:22.22 minutes – a fourteen-second improvement.Kenya's 4x1500m men throw caution to the winds
IAAF (26 May 2014). Retrieved on 29 May 2014.

Personal bests

* 1000 metres – 2:19.72 minutes (2013) *

– 3:30.61 minutes (2014) *1500 metres (indoors) – 3:48.65 minutes (2014) *

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 ...

– 3:50.68 minutes (2012)

International competition record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Magut, James Kiplagat Living people 1990 births Kenyan male middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Kenya Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Kenya Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics World Athletics record holders (relay) People from Nandi County Sportspeople from Rift Valley Province Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games