Bernard Lagat

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Bernard Lagat
MAR (Houston 2018)
  • Marathon: 2:12:10 (Gold Coast
    • 2019)
    Medal record
    Men's
    athletics
    Event 1st 2nd 3rd
    Olympic Games
    		 0 1 1
    World Championships
    		 2 3 1
    World Indoor Championships
    		 3 2 0
    Continental Cup 2 0 1
    Universiade
    		 1 0 0
    Total 8 5 3
    Representing  Kenya
    Olympic Games
    Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens 1500 m
    Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney 1500 m
    World Championships
    Silver medal – second place 2001 Edmonton 1500 m
    World Indoor Championships
    Silver medal – second place 2003 Birmingham 1500 m
    Gold medal – first place 2004 Budapest 3000 m
    World Cup
    Gold medal – first place 2002 Madrid 1500 m
    Representing  United States
    World Championships
    Gold medal – first place 2007 Osaka 1500 m
    Gold medal – first place 2007 Osaka 5000 m
    Silver medal – second place 2009 Berlin 5000 m
    Silver medal – second place 2011 Daegu 5000 m
    Bronze medal – third place 2009 Berlin 1500 m
    World Indoor Championships
    Gold medal – first place 2010 Doha 3000 m
    Gold medal – first place 2012 Istanbul 3000 m
    Silver medal – second place 2014 Sopot 3000 m
    World Cup
    Gold medal – first place 2010 Split 3000 m
    Gold medal – first place 2010 Split 5000 m
    Bronze medal – third place 2014 Marrakech 3000 m

    Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat (born December 12, 1974) is a Kenyan-American middle and long-distance runner.

    Lagat was born in Kapsabet, Kenya. Prior to his change of domicile to the US, Lagat had an extensive competitive career representing his native country.

    He is the

    American record holder in the 1500 m and mile run indoors and is the Kenyan record holder at 1500 m outdoors. Lagat is the second fastest 1500 m runner of all time, behind Hicham El Guerrouj
    .

    Lagat is a five-time Olympian, having competed in the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 games, and is a thirteen-time medalist in World Championships and Olympics including five gold medals. At the age of 41, he finished 5th in the finals of the 5000 m at the Rio Olympics.[2]

    Lagat's long-term coach is James Li of the University of Arizona, with whom he has worked for over a decade.

    Early life

    Lagat was born in Kaptel village, near Kapsabet town in Nandi District of Kenya. He is a Nandi, a sub-tribe of the Kalenjin people.[3][4]

    He graduated from the Kaptel High School in 1994, where he had started his athletic career. He joined Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Nairobi 1996. Later in the same year he moved to Washington State University where other Kenyan athletic greats such as Henry Rono and Michael Kosgei prospered.

    In 1998, while at WSU, Lagat won three NCAA individual championships; indoor mile and 3000 m, as well as the 5000 m outdoors.

    In 2000, Lagat graduated from Washington State University with a degree in

    management information systems
    .

    Lagat's siblings have also competed in athletics; his older sister

    Viola Cheptoo placed second in the 2021 New York City Marathon[6]

    Representing Kenya (2000–2004)

    Lagat first represented his native Kenya at the

    Sydney, Australia.[7] In the 1500 m final, Morocco used team tactics to try to ensure a gold medal for heavy favorite Hicham El Guerrouj. In a very close finish, Noah Ngeny
    took gold, El Guerrouj won silver, and Lagat captured bronze. Lagat finished the year being ranked #3 in the world at 1500 m.

    The next summer, Lagat won the silver medal, behind El Guerrouj, at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics, and later that summer, at a meet in Brussels, Lagat set the Kenyan National Record and became the second fastest individual ever at 1500 m when he ran 3:26.34, finishing second in this race behind Hicham El Guerrouj (3:26.13), in an attempt to break El Guerrouj's world record of 3:26.00. Lagat finished the year ranked #2 in the world at 1500 m.

    Lagat spent most of 2002 and 2003 chasing El Guerrouj. At the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships, he earned the silver medal at 1500 m, this time behind Driss Maazouzi of France. Lagat withdrew from the 2003 world outdoor championships after a blood test showed traces of EPO in his system. His B sample test came back negative, clearing him of any charges. He was ranked 2nd and 4th in the world at 1500 m in 2002 and 2003 respectively.

    In the 3000 m at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships Lagat won his first international gold medal. Lagat was clearly overjoyed at his comeback since 2003. Throughout the spring he competed fiercely and beat his rival El Guerrouj in Zürich with a world leading time at 1500 m of 3:27.40. At the 2004 Summer Olympics Lagat seemed poised to once again defeat El Guerrouj. The final saw Lagat and El Guerrouj battling down the final 100 m, swapping the lead multiple times. El Guerrouj prevailed, with Lagat close behind, earning the silver medal, running the final lap in under 52 seconds. He was, however, ranked #1 in the world at 1500 m for the year.

    Representing United States (2005–present)

    Beginning of American career

    In March 2005, Lagat announced that he had become a

    dual citizenship at the time, he was allowed to keep his medal. Lagat became a competitor for the United States but was temporarily banned from international championship events, missing the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki
    .

    The U.S. does allow dual citizenship and consequently races run by Lagat after May 7, 2004, could have been ratified as American records, since USATF rules only state that an athlete has to be a U.S. citizen competing in a sanctioned competition to be eligible to set a national record. However, at the 2005 USATF annual meeting, his 3:27.40 win in the 1500 meters, on August 6, 2004, in Zürich, was not ratified as an American record.

    Nevertheless, Lagat owns three American records from races he had run in 2005 that were ratified by USATF. His first American records came indoors, with a 3:49.89 mile at

    Jeff Atkinson, who ran 3:38.12 in 1989. Lagat's winning time of 3:29.40 at Rieti, Italy, on August 28, 2005, in the outdoor 1500 meters was ratified as his third new American record, improving upon the old record of 3:29.77, set by Sydney Maree
    in 1985.

    Double world champion

    At the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Lagat surpassed all his previous achievements by becoming the first athlete to become world champion in both the 1,500 m and 5,000 m at the same IAAF World Outdoor Championships. Similar feats were accomplished by Hicham El Guerrouj at the 2004 Olympics and Paavo Nurmi at the 1924 Olympics.[8][9]

    2008 Olympics and 2009 Worlds

    Bernard Lagat at the 2009 World Championships

    In 2008, Lagat won both 1500 m

    Beijing, China.[13] Hopes were high that his success in both these events would continue at the Olympics.[14][15] However, Lagat failed to advance beyond the semi-finals in the 1500 m run.[16][17][18] He was more successful in the 5000 m run, winning his semi-final heat to advance,[19][20] but ultimately did not medal, running to ninth-place finish in the finals.[21]

    Lagat had concealed the fact that he was running with an injured Achilles tendon, a problem which hampered his training and contributed to his poor showing at the Olympics. He stated that his placings at the 2008 Beijing Games were "the biggest disappointment in my athletics career". The following season, he began with high altitude training in Flagstaff, Arizona.[22] After tying Eamonn Coghlan's record of seven wins in the Wanamaker Mile at the 2009 Millrose Games in New York, Lagat broke Coghlan's record with an 8th win at Millrose in 2010.[23] As the reigning world champion in the 1500 and 5000 meters, he automatically received qualification in the events at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics and set his sights on retaining his titles. Despite being much older than some of his competitors, Lagat's desire to win had not faded and he said "I am more motivated than ever to go to the podium in Berlin".[22] Lagat ultimately won the bronze medal in the 1500 m and the silver medal in the 5000 m.

    2010 to present

    Lagat set a new American record in his debut of the indoor 5000 meters at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on February 6, 2010, with a time of 13:11.50. This beat previous record holder

    Rieti IAAF Grand Prix in August: chasing down Tariku Bekele
    in the 3000 m. Lagat took second place with an American record of 7:29.00 – his first sub-7:30 minute time.

    Lagat broke his own 5000 m American record in July at the Monaco Diamond League meet by running 12:53.60 to finish a close second behind Mo Farah who set the British 5000 m record in this race in a time of 12:53.11.[26][27][28] The 2011 World Championships in Athletics, the 5000 m final came down to a sprint finish and Lagat was beaten in the last straight by Mo Farah, leaving Lagat with his second consecutive silver medal at the world event.

    Lagat (center) winning the 5000 m race at the 2016 Olympic Trials

    The 2012

    Isiah Kiplangat Koech.[30] Lagat was runner-up behind Matthew Centrowitz Jr. at the Fifth Avenue Mile that year.[31]
    [32] Lagat earned his 4th
    USATF Indoor 3000 meters title on February 22, 2014 [33][34] On June 27, Lagat, at age 39, won his seventh USA men's 5,000 title.[35]

    He made his debut at the 10,000 m on 1 May 2016 and came in first. His winning time of 27:49 seconds made an improvement for the world record in the Masters A40 category by 51 seconds.[36] [37] [38] On July 9, Lagat won the 5000 meters at the

    2016 United States Olympic Trials, qualifying him for his fifth Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He entered the last lap in sixth place more than two and a half seconds behind race leader Galen Rupp. At age 41, his final lap was 52.82, the fastest of the field and more than a second faster than any in the 1500 meter final. Joining Lagat on the team were Somali born Hassan Mead and Kenyan born Paul Chelimo, making for an entirely foreign born delegation. Lagat also became the oldest runner at the Summer Olympics to represent the United States.[39] On August 20, 2016, Lagat initially claimed the 6th-place finish in the 5000 meters at the Olympics. He was moved to bronze after three runners were disqualified, but was moved back to 5th after 2 of the 3 were reinstated.[40]
    He outsprinted Andrew Butchart of Great Britain, who is 17 years his junior, by more than a second.

    Lagat ran his final race as a professional on September 3, 2016, at the ISTAF meet in Berlin where he came in second place in the 3,000 meters.[41]

    In May 2017 Lagat served as a pacer for Nike's Breaking2 attempt at achieving a sub-2-hour marathon time. Lagat also agreed to run as a pacer at a similar event, the Ineos 1:59 Challenge, in October 2019.[42]

    On September 10, 2017, Lagat finished eighth in the 2017 Great North Run half marathon in 1:03:02.[43]

    Lagat participated on his first marathon in New York City Marathon on 4 Nov, 2018[44] finishing 18th with a time of 2:17:20.[45] He had a lead to the second-placed finisher in his age group of 11:15 minutes.[46]

    On 29 February 2020, Lagat placed 18th with a time of 2:14:23 in the Atlanta Olympic Trials Marathon. In preparation he had a 30 km training run with the world record holder Eliud Kipchoge in Kenya.[47][48]

    Lagat lives in

    Tucson, Arizona and Tübingen, Germany with his wife Gladys Tom (a Canadian of Chinese descent),[49] whom he met while they both attended Washington State University,[50][51] and their son Miika Kimutai (born in 2006) and daughter Gianna (born 2008).[52]

    International competitions

    Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
    Representing  Kenya
    1999 Universiade Palma de Mallorca, Spain 1st 1500 m 3:40.99
    2000 Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 3rd 1500 m 3:32.44
    2001 World Indoor Championships Lisbon, Portugal 6th 3000 m 7:45.52
    Goodwill Games Brisbane, Australia 5th Mile 3:57.10
    World Championships
    Edmonton
    , Canada     		2nd 1500 m 3:31.10
    2002 African Championships Radès, Tunisia 1st 1500 m 3:38.11
    World Cup Madrid, Spain 1st 1500 m
    3:31.20
    1
    2003 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 2nd 1500 m 3:42.62
    2004 World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 1st 3000 m 7:56.34
    Olympic Games Athens, Greece 2nd 1500 m 3:34.30
    Representing the  United States
    2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan 1st 1500 m 3:34.77
    1st 5000 m 13:45.87
    2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 9th 5000 m 13:26.89
    2009 World Championships Berlin, Germany 3rd 1500 m 3:36.20
    2nd 5000 m 13:17.33
    2010 World Indoor Championships Doha, Qatar 1st 3000 m 7:37.97
    Continental Cup Split, Croatia 1st 3000 m
    7:54.75
    2
    1st 5000 m
    13:58.23
    2
    2011 World Championships Daegu, South Korea 2nd 5000 m 13:23.64
    2012 World Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey 1st 3000 m 7:41.44
    Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 4th 5000 m 13:42.99
    2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia 6th 5000 m 13:29.24
    2014 World Indoor Championships Sopot, Poland 2nd 3000 m 7:55.22
    2016 Olympic Games Rio, Brazil 5th 5000 m 13:06.78

    1Representing Africa
    2Representing the Americas

    Statistics

    Personal bests

    Distance Mark Date Location Notes
    1500 metres 3:26.34 NR August 24, 2001 Brussels Lagat's 1500 m PB is the Kenyan National Record. After becoming an American citizen, Lagat set an American record in the 1500 m of 3:29.30.
    Mile 3:47.28 June 29, 2001 Rome
    Mile (indoor) 3:49.89 February 14, 2008 Boston
    3000 metres 7:29.00 AR August 28, 2010 Rieti Video on
    YouTube
    Two miles (indoor) 8:09.49 February 16, 2013 New York This was the North American AR until broken by Galen Rupp in January 2014
    5000 metres 12:53.60 AR July 22, 2011 Monaco
    10000 metres
    		 27:49.36 May 1, 2016
    Palo Alto
    		 This is the Masters A40 WR
    Half marathon 1:02:00 January 14, 2018 Houston This is the Masters A40 American record[53]
    Marathon 2:12:10 July 6, 2019 Queensland, Australia Likely to become Masters A40 American record[54]

    Records

    American records
    Season Indoor Outdoor
    Event Time Time
    1500 m 3:33.34 3:29.30
    Mile 3:49.89  
    3000 m   7:29.00
    5000 m 12:53.60

    References

    1. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Bernard Lagat". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016.
    2. ^ "IAAF: 5000 Metres Result | The XXXI Olympic Games | iaaf.org". iaaf.org. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
    3. ^ Longman, Jeré. "A Runner Dreams of Gold Under a New Flag". Retrieved August 28, 2018.
    4. ^ "IAAF: Bernard LAGAT | Profile". iaaf.org. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
    5. ^ Powell, David (August 2, 2009). "With family as inspiration, Lagat ready to pursue elusive Olympic gold". iaaf.org. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008.
    6. ^ Cacciola, Scott (November 7, 2021). "Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya wins the women's race at the New York City Marathon". The New York Times.
    7. USATF
      . August 18, 2008
    8. ^ El Guerrouj wins historic gold. BBC Sport. August 28, 2004
    9. ^ With historic double, Lagat joins illustrious company Archived August 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. IAAF.org. September 2, 2007
    10. USATF
      . July 6, 2008
    11. ^ Lagat wins 1,500 m at U.S. Olympic trials. CBC Sports. July 7, 2008
    12. USATF
      . June 30, 2008
    13. USATF
      . July 6, 2008
    14. IAAF
      . August 14, 2008
    15. ^ Lagat eyes double. The Oregonian. August 13, 2008
    16. ^ After a disappointment in 1,500, Lagat moves on in Olympic 5,000 meters[dead link]. The Los Angeles Times. August 20, 2008
    17. Arizona Republic
      . August 17, 2008
    18. ^ Lagat, Americans out after 1500 m semis Archived August 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. NBC Olympics. August 17, 2008
    19. ^ Lagat wins 5K heat, advances to Saturday final[permanent dead link]. The Associated Press. August 20, 2008
    20. Arizona Republic
      . August 20, 2008
    21. ^ Bekele wins 5,000, completes distance double. The Associated Press. August 23, 2008
    22. ^
      IAAF
      . Retrieved on 2009-08-13.
    23. ^ Robinson, Joshua (January 31, 2009). Lagat Wins Mile at Millrose, Tying Coghlan’s Record. The New York Times. Retrieved on August 13, 2009.
    24. ^ "Lagat sets American indoor record for 5,000 meters"[dead link]. The Washington Post, February 6, 2010.
    25. ^ "ExxonMobil Bislett Games". Archived from the original on August 31, 2010. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
    26. ^ Lohr, Alex. (July 22, 2011) Mo Farah 1st in 5k and new British Record 12:53.11 Monaco Diamond League 2011 Archived March 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. FloTrack. Retrieved on 2016-08-07.
    27. ^ Lohr, Alex. (July 22, 2011) Bernard Lagat runner-up 12:53.60 American Record and volunteer Drug test Monaco Diamond League 2011 Archived December 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. FloTrack. Retrieved on 2016-08-07.
    28. IAAF
      . Retrieved on 2010-08-30.
    29. ^ Parker, Morse (February 12, 2012). U.S. 5000 m record for Lagat in New York. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-02-13.
    30. ^ finished 4th. Cougcenter.com. Retrieved on August 7, 2016.
    31. IAAF
      . Retrieved on 2013-01-27.
    32. ^ "Bernard Lagat prepared for Rio 2016". Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
    33. ^ "USA Track & Field – Lagat turns in fastest 3,000 m in USA Indoor Championships history on second day in Albuquerque". Usatf.org. February 22, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
    34. ^ "USATF Indoor Championships – News – In Crowded Race, Lagat Gets Fourth 3000 m Title At USA Ind Championships – RRW". Usaindoor.runnerspace.com. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
    35. ^ "Bernard Lagat, At Age 39, Wins His Seventh USA Men's 5,000 Title – Two Quick Thoughts + Lots Of Post-Race Talk". LetsRun.com. June 28, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
    36. ^ "Bernard Lagat Debuts at 10,000 Meters and Smashes World Masters Record". runnersworld.com. May 2, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
    37. ^ "2016 Payton Jordan Invitational - info/results - 05/01/16". RunnerSpace.com. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
    38. ^ "10000 meter ALL-TIME Rankings". www.mastersathletics.net. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
    39. ^ Chavez, Chris (July 9, 2016). "41-year-old Bernard Lagat wins 5,000 meters at Olympic trials". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
    40. ^ "No medal for Bernard Lagat but plenty of class in perhaps his final Games". usatoday.com. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
    41. ^ "Bernard Lagat Has Run His Final Track Race - What an Amazing Career it Was - LetsRun.com". letsrun.com. September 6, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
    42. ^ INEOS. "Bernard Lagat". www.ineos159challenge.com. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
    43. ^ "2017 Great North Run Results - LetsRun.com". letsrun.com. September 11, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
    44. ^ "Bernard Lagat sets marathon debut". OlympicTalk. August 23, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
    45. ^ "Bernard Lagat Runs 2:17 Debut Marathon in New York City". Runner's World. November 4, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
    46. ^ "New York Road Runners Official Race Results". results.nyrr.org. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
    47. ^ Zaccardi, Nick (February 28, 2020). "Bernard Lagat reminded of Atlanta Games at U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
    48. ^ OlympicTalk (February 29, 2020). "2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials results". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
    49. The New York Times
      , March 25, 2008.
    50. ^ ESPN The Magazine: "For love of country". ESPN.com, August 2, 2007.
    51. ^ "Sports: Bernard Lagat comes home". Washington State Magazine, February 1, 2008.
    52. ^ "Kenyan-Born Runner Boosts U.S. Olympic Hopes". NPR, June 23, 2008.
    53. ^ "USATF - Statistics - Records". www.usatf.org. Retrieved March 21, 2018.[permanent dead link]
    54. ^ "USATF - Statistics - Records". www.usatf.org. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
    55. ^ Gambaccini, Peter (February 26, 2015). "Bernard Lagat Lowers World Masters 3000-Meter Mark to 7:37.71 | Runner's World". Runnersworld.com. Retrieved July 11, 2016.

    External links

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