Paul Tergat
Paul Tergat ( born June 17, 1969 in Baringo ) is a Kenyan long-distance runner and former holder of the world record in the 10,000 - meter race in the half marathon and marathon.
Career
From 1995 to 1999 he was the fifth consecutive world champion in cross-country running. At the World Athletics Championships 1995 in Gothenburg he finished third in the 10,000 - meter race at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, he won over the same distance the silver medal, as well as at the 1997 World Championships in Athens, the 1999 World Championships in Seville and the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, where he was defeated by only 0.09 seconds in this race his eternal rival Haile Gebrselassie.
After he had set up in 1998 with 59:17 min a world record in the half marathon and 1999 and 2000 World Champion had grown over this distance, he decided to take the marathon distance in attack. In 2001 he was second in London and the Chicago Marathon in 2002 he beat Gebrselassie in London in their only previous meeting in a marathon in 2:05:48 h and was second behind Khalid Khannouchi, who set a world record in this race. In the fall Tergat finished second in 2:06:18 h in fourth place in Chicago and 2003 in 2:07:59 h the same place in London.
A few months later at the Berlin Marathon, it was now up to him to get the world record. In a dramatic race, which he delivered with Sammy Korir, who had served him in the first half as a pacemaker and in the end was only a second behind him, he improved Khannouchis London record by 43 seconds to 2:04:55 h This time was later recognized as the first official marathon world record by the IAAF and had stock until September 30, 2007 Haile Gebrselassie with 2:04:26 hours was almost half a minute faster at the same place.
The Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, however, were a disappointment when he got stomach problems and finished in tenth place at the end.
In 2005 he won the New York City Marathon in a race that was even more scarce than the one in Berlin. Only .32 seconds he was in goal in last year's winner Hendrick Ramaala.
In 2006 he had to cancel due to injury re- duel with Gebrselassie London Marathon, in New York City, he was third.
In 2007 he finished with 2:08:05 hours, the fastest time since his world record, sixth place in London.
In 2008 he was in New York City by third parties, and in 2009 he won the Lake Biwa Marathon the third major marathon in his career.
Private
Paul Tergat is 1,82 m tall and weighs 62 kg. He lives in Ngong, a small town south-west of Nairobi, is married and has three children. He is a sergeant in the Kenyan Air Force and a member of the IAAF Athletes Come mission. Moreover, since 2004, he acts as an ambassador for the World Food Programme, WFP, which once supported him in his school with free meals.