WILSON KIPKETER

Born 12 December 1972 in Kenya

Permanent resident in Denmark from 1990

Representing the Danish Athletic Federation from 1990

Danish citizenship 1998

 MAJOR RESULTS:

FURTHER INFORMATION

Full name:                  Wilson Kipketer Kosgei

Ethnic background:    The Nandi Tribe, Kenya

Birthplace:                  Kapchemoyiwo, a small village in the Nandi Hills

Height:                        1.72 m
Weight:                        62 kilos

Married his Danish girl friend Pernille in 2000.

Significant data

1985

BEST RESULT:                                            1,49.6 min

1986
Was admitted to St. Patrick´s High School in Iten, Kenya, where he was able to train together with some of the best Kenyan runners, under the guidance of the protestant priest, father Colm O´Connell, the Irish headmaster of the school.

BEST RESULT:                                            1,51.7 min

1987

BEST RESULT:                                             1,48.5 min

1988
Participated on 800 m in the World Junior Championships in Sudbury, Canada.
- disqualified in the preliminary round.

BEST RESULT:                                             1,47.0 min

1989

BEST RESULT:                                             1,47.2 min

1990
Participated on 800 m in the World Junior Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
No 4  in:                                                           1,48.13 min

BEST RESULT:                                             1,45.7  min

In August he participated in a road race, The Gunnar Nielsen Mile, in Copenhagen, together with Robert Kiplagat Kiptanui (now: Robert K. Andersen), where he finished 7th.

On the invitation of the President of the organising club K.I.F., Ole Bjørn Kraft, they both returned to Denmark in December, to join the club, obviously with the purpose of developing as runners and to seek their fortune in the northern hemisphere.

1991
Due to a heel operation early in the year, Kipketer was unable to run for a couple of months, however, later in the year he won the Danish junior championship on 800 m in 1,50.43 min.

BEST RESULT:                                              1,46.19 min.

1992
Kipketer (and Robert K. Andersen) applied for Danish citizenship.

BEST RESULTS:                              800 m   1,45.62 min
                                                          1000 m   2,18.53 min

1993
Kipketer changed from K.I.F. to another Copenhagen based club: SPARTA, of which he is still a member.
During the year he had a knee operation.

BEST RESULTS:                             800 m    1,45.46 min
                                                          1000 m   2,18.57 min

1994
Slawomir Novak, Poland, who for some years had been a coach in SPARTA, started coaching Kipketer and became his first personal coach.

22 May    new personal best on 800 m         1,45.06 min
29 June    new personal best on 800 m         1,44.35 min
22 July     new personal best on 800 m         1,43.29 min

1995
World Champion on 800 m outdoor in Gothenburg.
16 August new personal record on 800 m    1,42.87 min

BEST RESULT:                            1000 m    2,16.29 min

1996

BEST RESULTS:                           800 m      1,41.83 min
                                                        1000 m     2,17.08 min

1997

World Champion on 800 m indoor in Paris.

World Record on 800 m indoor:                  1,43.96 min
-         achieved in a preliminary round, running in front all the way.

World Record on 800 m indoor:                  1,42.67 min
-         achieved in the World Championship final.

World Record on 800 m outdoor:                1,41.73 min
World Record on 800 m outdoor:                1,41.24 min

World Record on 800 m outdoor:                1,41.11 min

Overall Grand Prix winner.

Kipketer achieves Danish citizenship in December.

PUMA becomes the main personal sponsor of Kipketer.

1998

In January Kipketer is taken severely ill with malaria.

8 August     comeback in Monaco, No 1  in  1,43.74 min.
-   an unbroken row of 33 victories on 800 m over three seasons.

12 August   No 2 in Zurich in                        1,43.18 min.
(winner: Japhet Kimutai, Kenya in 1,42.87).

23 August   No 8 at the European Championships, Budapest, in 1,50.13 min.

BEST RESULT:                                             1.43,18 min.

On the World All Time List Kipketer has set six of the ten best times.

1999

Second in the indoor World Championships, Maebashi, Japan. 

World Champion on 800 m outdoor in Seville. 

Overall Golden League winner.

2000
World Record on 1000 m indoor:                  2,15.25 min
World Record on 1000 m indoor:                  2,14.96 min

Second in 800 m Olympic Final                     1,45.14 min

2001
Injured throughout the year

2002

European Champion on 800 m outdoor in Munich

No 1 on IAAF Ranking list

BEST RESULT:                                            1,42.32 min    

2003

No 2 on 800 m at the  World Indoor Championships in Birmingham

No 4 on 800 m at the World Championships in Paris

BEST RESULT:                                            1,43.28 min

2004

No 3 on 800 m at the  Olympic Games in Athens

BEST RESULT:                                            1,43.88 min

PERSONAL BESTS OTHERWISE

1993  -  1500 m                                               3,42.80 min
1993  -  1 mile                                                 3,59.57 min
1994  -  400 m                                                    46.85 min

February 2005
Georg Facius