Kipkemboi Kimeli

Kipkemboi Kimeli ( born November 30, 1966; † February 6, 2010 in Albuquerque ) was a Kenyan long-distance runner.

Internationally, he first appeared at the World Cross Country Championships 1985 in Lisbon in appearance, when he won the junior race there. To earn money with the sport, he ventured in 1987 with little more than the clothes he was wearing, the step to Europe. Under the care of Walter Abmayr Kimeli trained henceforth at USC Heidelberg. In the same year he won the Darmstadt city run in course record time and defended this title the following year

A short time later, he achieved the outstanding success of his career at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. In the 10,000 - meter race of the then internationally relatively unknown athlete won in a personal best of 27:25,16 min the bronze medal behind Brahim Boutayeb ( 27:21,46 min) and Salvatore Antibo ( 27:23,55 min). Then stayed for Kimeli but comparable results at international championships. Only at the World Cross Country Championships in 1989 in Stavanger, he reached eighth in long-distance races still a front placement.

In the early 1990s drew Kimeli to Albuquerque, where he took part regularly in regional competitions. On February 6, 2010, he died of pneumonia.

Kipkemboi Kimeli was 1.73 m tall and weighed about 64 kg competition times.

Personal Best

• 5000 m: 13:25,97 min, September 1, 1989, Monaco
• 10,000 m: 27:25,16 min, September 26, 1988, Seoul