Noah Ngeny

Noah Ngeny ( born November 2, 1978 in Kabenas ) is a Kenyan middle distance runner and Olympic champion from 2000 in the 1500 -meter run.

Ngeny initially had trouble to put on the top. Many of his compatriots were also strong middle and long distance runners. He received in 1999 at an international meeting, where he was able to qualify for the World Athletics Championships in Seville his chance. There he was beaten only by the reigning world champion Hicham El Guerrouj in the final. On September 5 of the same year Ngeny improved in Rieti 18-year- old 1000 -meter world record of the British miracle runner Sebastian Coe to 2:11,96 min.

At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney he met in the final of the 1500 -meter run back to El Guerrouj, the world record holder and two-time world champion. This had been beaten only once since the last Olympics and thus the undisputed favorite. Ngeny sat just 15 meters from the finish off, won the race and caused quite one of the surprises at these games.

He was removed from the Kenyan squad for the World Cup in Edmonton, after he had not followed instructions of the Association in 2001. In 2002, he suffered a serious car accident, its aftermath foiled all attempts comeback in the following years. In 2006 he officially declared his retirement from the sport.

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