Ronald Chebolei Kwemoi ( ja, ﾛﾅﾙﾄﾞｹﾓｲ; born 19 September 1995) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

and

track running 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 ...

events. He 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 Athle ...

and holds a personal best of 3:28.81 minutes set at Herculis on July 18, 2014. The time is a world junior record. He was the 2014 Kenyan champion in the event. He was a team silver medallist at the

2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 24, 2013. The races were held at the Myślęcinek Park in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Kenya topped the medal standings in the competition with 5 gold, and Ethiopia had the most overall ...

Career

Hailing from Mount Elgon District, Kwemoi ended his schooling in 2009 as his family could not afford the fees. He began training as a runner under coach Godwill Kipruto and around 2011 moved to Iten, a well-known centre for running in Kenya. He made his first impact as a runner at national level at the age of seventeen. He took his first victory on the

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 ...

circuit in

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 partic ...

. In February 2013 he entered the Kenyan junior cross country championships and won the race by six seconds. His win—on his national debut—was an upset as he was unknown beforehand and beat the more favoured Leonard Barsoton and Conseslus Kipruto, a world junior champion. This led to his international debut for Kenya and he placed ninth in the junior race at the

. Although he was beaten by his compatriots Barsoton and Kipruto at the event, his placing meant Kenya shared in the team silver medals behind Ethiopia. After his cross country performances, he travelled to Japan and trained in track events. That season, he won a

in with a best of 3:45.39 minutes and set a best of 13:41.99 minutes for the 5000 metres.Ronald Kwemoi
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2014-07-05. He joined up with the

Komori is a Japanese press manufacturer that manufactures web offset presses, security printing presses, sheet-fed offset presses, package printing presses and printing related equipment. It is one of the last privately-owned press producers. Komo ...

corporate running team in 2014 and focused on the 1500 m. He won his opening race of that year at the Kanaguri Memorial, improving to 3:42.45 minutes, then improved again to win at the Hyogo Relays. Wins at the East Japan championship and North Rift Valley championship preceded his first Kenyan national title, which he won in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

in 3:34.6 minutes – knocking eight seconds off his previous best. He extended his unbeaten streak in the 1500 m at the Athletissima

2014 Diamond League The 2014 IAAF Diamond League was the fifth edition of the annual Diamond League. It consisted of fourteen one-day track and field meetings, starting on May 9, 2014 in Doha, Qatar and ending on September 5, 2014 in Brussels, Belgium. Other events we ...

meeting – there he caused an upset by winning in 3:31.48 minutes to beat world championship medallists

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 ...

, Matt Centrowitz and

Abdalaati Iguider Reda Abdalaati Iguider ( ar, عبد العاطي إيكدير; born 25 March 1987) is a Moroccan runner who specializes in the 1500 metres. Over 1500 metres, he is the bronze medalist from the London Olympic Games and the 2012 World Indoor Champ ...

. His time was the fastest by a junior (under-20) athlete for nearly ten years and placed him fourth on the all-time junior lists. In what was called one of the greatest races in the history of the 1500 metres, Kwemoi was an up close spectator to a world record attempt by

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 ...

at the 2014 Herculis meet in Monaco. The record attempt failed but turned into a highly competitive race, with 9 athletes setting personal bests. While

ended up beating Kiprop in 3:27.64, coming from sixth place with 200 to go to finish a few steps behind in third, Kwemoi improved his personal best and improved upon the world junior record with a 3:28.81. The time also tied

Mo Farah Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born Hussein Abdi Kahin; 23 March 1983) is a British long-distance runner. His ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World titles) make him the most successful male track distance runner ever ...

as the number 7 1500 metres of all time.
See the race
From the beginning of 2016 he went under the coaching of the Italian Renato Canova, looking for moving to the longer distance of 5000m.

Personal bests

– 3:28.81 min (2014) * Mile – 3:49.04 min (2017) * 3000 metres – 7:28.73 min (2017) * 5000 metres – 13:16.14 min (2015) * 10000 metres – 27:33.94 min (2016)

International competition record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kwemoi, Ronald Chebolei Living people 1995 births Kenyan male middle-distance runners Kenyan male long-distance runners People from Mount Elgon District Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Kenya Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Kenyan male cross country runners World Athletics Championships athletes for Kenya Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games