Bernard Lagat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Men's Athletics | ||
Competitor for the  United States |
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| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2007 Osaka | 1500 m |
| Gold | 2007 Osaka | 5000 m |
Competitor for  Kenya |
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| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | 2004 Athens | 1500 m |
| Bronze | 2000 Sydney | 1500 m |
| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 2001 Edmonton | 1500 m |
| World Indoor Championships | ||
| Gold | 2004 Budapest | 3000 m |
| Silver | 2003 Birmingham | 1500 m |
Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat (born December 12, 1974, Kapsabet, Kenya) is a middle and long distance champion athlete who now represents the United States. In July, 2008, Lagat won the US Olympic Trials in the 1500 m and 5000 m, making the US Olympic team in both events.
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[edit] Early life
Lagat, now a Kenyan American, was born in Kaptel village, near Kapsabet town in Nandi District. His date of birth coincides with Jamhuri Day, the independence day of Kenya. He is a Nandi, sub-tribe of the Kalenjin people. He graduated from the Kaptel High School in 1994, where he had started his athletics career.
He joined Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Nairobi 1996. Later in the same year he moved to Washington State University. In 2000, Lagat graduated from Washington State University --as athletic greats Henry Rono and Michael Kosgei from Kenya had done before him-- with a degree in management information systems.
Lagat's older sister Mary Chepkemboi is also a runner and African Champion from 1994.
[edit] 2000 Olympics
Lagat won the bronze medal in the 1500 m run while competing for Kenya at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.[1]
[edit] Controversy
Lagat was among several Kenyan athletes, along with Richard Limo and Reuben Kosgei, who were heavily criticized for not representing their country in the 2002 Commonwealth Games, which were held in Manchester, England. Instead, the runners chose to chase the prize money offered in the IAAF Golden League.
Lagat pulled out of the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris, France, after being told he had tested positive for erythropoietin, (EPO), on August 8 while competing in Germany.[2] He was suspended from competition, but this was later lifted when a B sample tested negative. On hearing this good news he issued a statement saying "I hope this outcome will also remove any suggestion that I have ever taken drugs."[3]
[edit] 2004 Olympics
Lagat won the silver medal in the 1500 m run while again competing for Kenya at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.[1]
[edit] From Kenyan to U.S. citizen
In March, 2005, Lagat announced that he had become a naturalized citizen of the United States since May 7, 2004, despite competing for Kenya in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Since Kenya does not allow dual citizenship his silver medal in the 1500 m is at stake, depending on how Kenya interprets its own laws (As of May 2005[update], no additional news has arisen on this issue). Due to this switch of nationality, Lagat served a ban from international championship events. For this reason he missed the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki. A similar switch of nationality, in this case Kenyan to Danish, caused Wilson Kipketer to miss the 1996 Olympic Games. Today, Lagat lives in Tucson AZ, with his wife Gladys Tom (a Canadian of Chinese descent)[4], who he met while they both attended Washington State University[5][6], and their 2-year-old son Miika Kimutai.[7]
[edit] American track and field records
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 Zurich, 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 Fayetteville, Arkansas, on February 11, 2005, during which his 1500 meters split time of 3:33.34 also established another new U.S. record, en route to a win in the event. The performance replaced records by Steve Scott, who set the previous American indoor mile record of 3:51.8 in 1981, and the previous American 1500 meter indoor record held by 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.
[edit] Double gold
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]
[edit] 2008 Olympics
In 2008, Lagat won both 1500 m[10][11] and 5000 m[12] runs at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, qualifying himself to compete with Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics in 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 opening round semi-final race 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]
[edit] Major achievements
Lagat's greatest achievement have come primarily in 1500 meter races, which have included:
| Competition | Rank | Time | Place | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Summer Universiade | 1 | x | Spain. | 1999 | x |
| 2000 Sydney Olympics | 3 | 3:32.44 | Sydney. | 2000 | Noah Ngeny(1), Hicham El Guerrouj(2) |
| 2001 World Championships | 2 | 3:31.10 | Edmonton, Canada. | 2001 | Hicham El Guerrouj(1) |
| 2002 IAAF World Cup | 1 | 3:31.20 | Madrid, Spain. | 2002 | x |
| 2002 African Championships | 1 | 3:38.11 | Tunis, Tunisia. | 2002 | x |
| 2003 World Indoor | 2 | 3:42.62 | Birmingham, UK. | 2003 | x |
| 2003 World Championships | DNS | DNS | Paris | 2003 | was suspended from competition |
| 2004 World Indoor | 1 | 7:56.34 (3000 m) | Budapest, Hungary. | 2004 | First international gold medal |
| 2004 Athens Olympics | 2 | 3:34.30 | Athens, Greece. | 2004 | Hicham El Guerrouj(1) |
| 2005 World Championships | x | x | Helsinki | 2005 | banned due to nationality switch |
| 2006 US Championships | 1 | 13:14.32 (5000 m) | Indianapolis | 2006 | (1 of 2) |
| 2006 US Championships | 1 | 3:39.29 | Indianapolis | 2006 | (2 of 2) |
| 2007 US Championships | 1 | 13:30.73 (5000 m) | Indianapolis | 2007 | (1 of 2) |
| 2007 US Championships | 3 | 3:35.55 | Indianapolis | 2007 | Alan Webb(1), Leonel Manzano(2) |
| 2007 World Championships | 1 | 3:34.77 | Osaka | 2007 | First international outdoor gold medal |
| 2007 World Championships | 1 | 13:45.87 (5000 m) | Osaka | 2007 | 2nd international outdoor gold medal |
| 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials | 1 | 13:27.47 (5000 m) | Eugene, Oregon | 2008 | Qualified for US Olympic team[22] |
| 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials | 1 | 3:40.37 | Eugene, Oregon | 2008 | Qualified for US Olympic team[23] |
[edit] Personal bests
| Distance | Mark | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 m | 1:46.00 | August 10, 2003 | Berlin |
| 1,000 m | 2:16.27 | August 7, 2007 | Stockholm |
| 1,500 m | 3:26.34 | August 24, 2001 | Brussels |
| Mile | 3:47.28 | June 29, 2001 | Rome |
| 2,000 m | 4:55.49 | July 30, 1999 | Stockholm |
| 3,000 m | 7:32.43i | February 19, 2007 | Birmingham |
| 5,000 m | 12:59.22 | July 28, 2006 | London |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Bernard Lagat (Profile). USATF. 2008-08-18
- ^ Lagat fails drugs test. BBC Sport. 2003-09-03
- ^ Lagat given all-clear. BBC Sport. 2003-10-01
- ^ "A Runner Dreams of Gold Under a New Flag". The New York Times, 2008-03-25.
- ^ ESPN The Magazine: "For love of country". ESPN.com, 2007-08-02.
- ^ "Sports: Bernard Lagat comes home". Washington State Magazine, 2008-02-01.
- ^ "Kenyan-Born Runner Boosts U.S. Olympic Hopes". NPR, 2008-06-23.
- ^ El Guerrouj wins historic gold. BBC Sport. 2004-08-28
- ^ With historic double, Lagat joins illustrious company. IAAF.org. 2007-09-02
- ^ U.S. 2008 Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Men's 1500m Results. USATF. 2008-07-06
- ^ Lagat wins 1,500m at U.S. Olympic trials. CBC Sports. 2008-07-07
- ^ U.S. 2008 Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Men's 5000m Results. USATF. 2008-06-30
- ^ Stuczynski breaks AR; hurdlers impress as Olympic Trials conclude: Lagat completes double. USATF. 2008-07-06
- ^ Lagat cautiously optimistic as double ambitions begin. IAAF. 2008-08-14
- ^ Lagat eyes double. The Oregonian. 2008-08-13
- ^ After a disappointment in 1,500, Lagat moves on in Olympic 5,000 meters. The Los Angeles Times. 2008-08-20
- ^ Lagat fails to make Olympic 1,500 final. The Arizona Republic. 2008-08-17
- ^ Lagat, Americans out after 1500m semis. NBC Olympics. 2008-08-17
- ^ Lagat wins 5K heat, advances to Saturday final. The Associated Press. 2008-08-20
- ^ Lagat rebounds in 5,000 meters. The Arizona Republic. 2008-08-20
- ^ Bekele wins 5,000, completes distance double. The Associated Press. 2008-08-23
- ^ USATF - Events - 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Men 5000 m
- ^ USATF - Events - 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Men 1500 m
[edit] External links
- IAAF profile for Bernard Lagat
- IAAF Focus on Athletes
- USATF Profile
- NBC Olympics Profile
- ESPN Profile
- Kenyan-Born Runner Boosts U.S. Olympic Hopes (NPR)
[edit] Video links
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