Isaac Kimeli
 Kimeli in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Kenyan-Belgian |
| Born | 9 March 1994 Uasin Gishu County, Kenya[1] |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 59 kg (130 lb)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Country | Belgium |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | Middle-, Long-distance running |
Isaac Kimeli (born 9 March 1994[2] in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya) is a Kenyan born Belgian middle- and long-distance runner.
Kimeli won one Diamond League meeting, securing victory in the 5000 m at the 2019 Memorial Van Damme in Brussels (promotional event) with a personal best of 13:13.02.[2]
Training and personal life
[edit]When Kimeli was four years old, his mother migrated from their home county of Uasin Gishu in Kenya to Belgium to work as a nurse. Kimeli was left in the care of his grand-parents for ten years. At age 15 he was finally reunited with this mother in Belgium. It was there that his PE teachers encouraged him to join a track club.[3]
Career
[edit]In 2011, Kimeli competed in his first international competition at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Trabzon, Turkey.[3]
Two years later, Kimeli won his first international medal by winning a silver at the junior 2013 European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.[4] This was soon followed by a gold medal at the Under-23 2016 European Cross Country Championships in Chia, Italy,[5] and 2 silver medals (one individual, one team) and a bronze at the senior level 2018,[6] 2019[7] and 2022 European Cross Country Championships[8] resp.
On the track, Kimeli earned a silver in the 5000 metres at the 2015 European Athletics U23 Championships and in the 3000 metres at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships.[9]
Kimeli represented Belgium at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan resp. Paris, France, his best result a 8th place in the final of the men's 5000 metres in Paris.[10]
Achievements
[edit]Competition record
[edit]National titles
[edit]- Belgian Athletics Championships
- 1500 metres: 2014
- Belgian Indoor Athletics Championships
- 3000 metres: 2022
Personal bests
[edit]- 1500 metres – 3:36.51 (Marseille 2018)
- 3000 metres – 7:47.48 (Rome 2020)
- 3000 metres indoor – 7:44.17 (Ghent 2021)
- 5000 metres – 12:56.53 (Stockholm 2024)
- 10,000 metres – 27:07.97 (San Juan Capistrano 2024)
- Road
- 10 kilometres – 28:17 (Lokeren 2020)
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Isaac Kimeli Palmares". Vlaamse Atletiek Liga (in Dutch). Vlaamse Atletiek Liga. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Isaac KIMELI – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ a b "From not speaking the language to competing for the national team at Tokyo 2020, Belgian runner Isaac Kimeli is aiming for gold". CNN. 20 July 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Third time lucky for Duarte at European Cross as Bezabeh regains title". World Athletics. 8 December 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Kimeli strikes gold as Italy claim team title". European Athletics Association. 11 December 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "ISAAC KIMELI RUNS HIS WAY TO A EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP MEDAL". www.focusonbelgium.be. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Can retains title while Fsiha breaks through at European Cross in Lisbon". World Athletics. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Norwegian double as Ingebrigtsen and Grovdal retain European cross titles". World Athletics. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Kimeli doet er nog een Belgische medaille bij op EK indoor: zilver op 3.000 meter" (in Dutch). Sporza. 7 March 2021. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ "Isaac Kimeli imponeert met 8e plaats op de 5.000 meter: "Ik had het zelf niet verwacht"" (in Dutch). Sporza. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
External links
[edit]
- Isaac Kimeli at World Athletics
- Isaac Kimeli at Diamond League
- Isaac Kimeli at Olympics.com
- Isaac Kimeli at Olympedia
- Isaac Kimeli at Team Belgium (in Dutch)
 | This biographical article relating to Belgian athletics is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1994 births
- Living people
- Belgian male middle-distance runners
- Belgian male cross country runners
- Belgian male long-distance runners
- Olympic athletes for Belgium
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Kenyan emigrants to Belgium
- Belgian people of Kenyan descent
- Naturalised citizens of Belgium
- People from Uasin Gishu County
- Belgian athletics biography stubs