Silas Kiplagat (born 20 August 1989) 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 ...

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 3:27.64 minutes, which makes him the fifth fastest of all-time over the distance. Born in Siboh Village,

Marakwet District Marakwet District is a defunct administrative district in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Its capital town was Kapsowar. The district had a population of 140.629. Local people are predominantly of the Marakwet tribe. The district was cr ...

, he started training in seriousness for competitive running in 2008 after completing Chebara high school in Marakwet district. He met

Sammy Kitwara Sammy Kirop Kitwara (born 26 November 1986 in Sagat (town), Sagat, Marakwet District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running events. He is coached by Moses Kiptanui. As of January 2020 he is the 12th fastest half marath ...

and the professional trained with him and introduced him to his coach,

Moses Kiptanui Moses Kiptanui (born 1 October 1970) is a Kenyan middle and long distance athlete mostly famous for 3,000 m steeplechase in which he was the number one ranked athlete from 1991 to 1995 and three time IAAF World Champion. Kiptanui was al ...

, a three-time world champion in the

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

. He initially wanted to follow Kitwara into longer distances, but Kiptanui recognised his speed and urged him to try shorter events instead.James Wokabi and Mutwiri Mutuota (2010-07-30)
Focus on Athletes – Silas Kiplagat

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

. Retrieved on 2010-11-01. He tried his hand at

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 coun ...

and was seventeenth at the

Kenyan National Cross Country Championships The Kenyan Cross Country Championships is an annual cross country running competition that serves as the national championship for Kenya. It is organised by Athletics Kenya and has permit race status from the International Association of Athletics ...

. An appearance at the

World's Best 10K The World's Best 10K (WB10K) is a road race of 10 kilometers celebrated in San Juan, Puerto Rico every year. It is certified by the Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS) and by the International Amateur Athletic Federati ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

saw him finish in tenth place. It was only when he ran in the 1500 metres that he showed his true athletic potential: he won the race at the Kenya Prisons Championships and then was runner-up at the National Championships, beaten only by the reigning Olympic champion

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 ...

. Italian coach Renato Canova assisting him technically introduced him to the Italian manager

Gianni Demadonna Gianni Demadonna (born 14 June 1954) is a former Italian male long-distance runner who competed at five editions of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships (from 1977 to 1987). He also won a national championship A national championship(s) i ...

that signed him up, gaining him a place in the 1500 m at the Herculis meeting in Monaco. His European debut marked a meteoric arrival onto the elite athletics scene – not only did he outrun more experienced runners such as

Amine Laâlou Amine Laâlou (born 13 May 1982) is a Moroccan track and field athlete, who specializes in middle-distance running. He has represented his country at the Summer Olympics on two occasions; in 2004 and 2008. He began his career as an 800 metres sp ...

and

Augustine Choge Augustine Kiprono Choge (born 21 January 1987) is a Kenyan middle distance and long distance runner. He won world youth and junior titles on the track in 2003 and 2004, eventually going on to set a world junior record for the ...

, but he improved his personal best time by five seconds of 3:29.27 and raised himself into the top ten fastest runners ever for the event. He gained selection for the event at the

2010 African Championships in Athletics The 2010 African Championships in Athletics was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 28 July to 1 August 2010. Background The African Championships in Athletics were held in Kenya for the first time. Previously two major athletics events have been held i ...

and he just missed out on a medal, finishing fourth behind

Mekonnen Gebremedhin Mekonnen Gebremedhin Woldegiorg ( am, መኮንን ገብረመድኅን; born 11 October 1988, in Addis Ababa) is an Ethiopian middle distance runner, who specializes in the 1500 metres. He is known for consistently placing close to the top thr ...

. He returned to Europe and won at the

Internationales Stadionfest 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 was second 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 ...

to Asbel Kiprop. After the close of the European summer track and field circuit, he represented Kenya 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 ...

in New Delhi. He and

James Magut James Kiplagat Magut (born 20 July 1990) is a Kenyan from Nandi County Kosirai ward middle-distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. 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 m ...

completed a Kenyan 1–2 as Kiplagat became the Commonwealth champion with a tactical performance to beat defending champion

Nick Willis Nicholas Ian Willis (born 25 April 1983) is a New Zealand middle distance runner and the country's only two-time Olympic medalist in the 1500 metres. He won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and bronze at the 2016 Olympics in R ...

. He won silver at the 2011 World Championships, in a time of 3:35.92. He competed at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, finishing in 7th place in the finals, with a time of 3:36.19.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiplagat, Silas 1989 births Living people People from Elgeyo-Marakwet County Kenyan male middle-distance runners Olympic athletes of Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships athletes for Kenya Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics World Athletics record holders (relay) Diamond League winners Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games