Michael Saruni (born June 18, 1995) is a Kenyan collegiate

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 ...

. He was the former

world record holder In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

for the indoor 600 m with a time of 1:14.79, set in January 2018. Representing the University of Texas in El Paso, he also set the all-time collegiate record for 800 m in April 2018, with a time of 1:43.25. Michael Saruni graduated from Kabimoi High School in Baringo County -

Eldama Ravine Eldama Ravine is a town in Baringo County, Kenya, a few miles north of the equator, geographical coordinates 0° 30' 0" North, 35° 43' 0" East. It was established as an administrative point by British colonialists and later served as a transit r ...

, Kenya. In

2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships The 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships was the 53rd NCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships and the 36th NCAA Women's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, held at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stad ...

800 meters final, Saruni won in 1:47, but was disqualified after bumping Piazza who cut into lane 1 in front of Saruni. In

2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships were the 96th NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the 36th NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships held for the fifth consecutive year ...

800 final, champion

Emmanuel Korir Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir (born 15 June 1995) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner. He is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and 2022 World champion in the 800 metres. Korir won the silver medal in the event at the 2018 African Championships in Athletics. As o ...

tripped Saruni at 600 meters. Saruni was controversially excluded from the Kenyan 2017 World Championships team by

Athletics Kenya Athletics Kenya (AK) is the governing body for the sport of athletics (track and field) in Kenya. It is a member of World Athletics and Confederation of African Athletics. AK organises athletics competitions held in Kenya. It also sends Kenyan tea ...

due to a misunderstanding of IAAF policies. In

2018 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships The 2018 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships was the 54th NCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships and the 37th NCAA Women's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, held at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadi ...

800 meters final, Saruni won in 1:45.15. Michael Saruni, a sophomore

UTEP Miners The UTEP Miners is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). They are informally referred to as the Miners, UTEP, or Texas–El Paso. UTEP was a member of the Western Athletic Conference from 1967 to 2005, ...

(

University of Texas El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...

), set the NCAA 800 meters record at the 2018 Desert Heat Classic in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

in 1:43.25 improving NCAA 800 m record of

Donavan Brazier Donavan Brazier (born April 15, 1997) is an American middle-distance runner. He holds the American junior record and American record in men's 800 meters and won the gold medal at the 2019 World Championships. Athletics career Youth In 2014, ...

(1:43.55 in 2016). In 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships 800 meters final, Saruni placed 3rd in 1:45.31. He qualified to represent Kenya at the

2020 Summer 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 ...

. In 2022, Saruni was given a provisional suspension for anti-doping rules violations.

Competitions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saruni, Michael Living people 1995 births Kenyan male middle-distance runners World record holders in athletics (track and field) United States collegiate record holders in athletics (track and field) UTEP Miners men's track and field athletes People from Baringo County Sportspeople from Rift Valley Province Kenyan expatriates in the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Kenya