Richard Chelimo

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Richard Chelimo (21 April 1972 – 15 August 2001) was a Kenyan long-distance runner and a former 10,000 metres world record holder. He is best remembered for winning silver in a controversial 10,000 metres race at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Chelimo also held the world junior record in the 10,000 metres. He came from the Marakwet region of Kenya in the Kalenjin community, often called the “running tribe.” His family has several famous runners: cousin Moses Kiptanui, a three-time steeplechase world champion, and brother Ismael Kirui, a two-time world champion over 5,000 metres. Chelimo was married to Monica Chelimo and they had five children.

His first big international success came in the 1990 World Cross Country Championships in Aix-les-Bains, where he won silver in the junior race. Later that year, at the World Junior Championships in Plovdiv, he won the 10,000 metres by 12 seconds ahead of his younger brother Kirui.

In 1991, Chelimo was chosen for Kenya’s 10,000 metres squad at the World Championships in Tokyo. He acted as a pacemaker for Moses Tanui and helped Tanui win the gold.

At the 1992 Olympics, Chelimo and Moroccan runner Khalid Skah were in a close duel in the final laps. A lapped runner, Hammou Boutayeb, stayed with the leaders, and some viewers thought this helped Skah win. After a dispute and a later appeal, Skah was reinstated as the winner, and Chelimo received the silver medal.

In 1993, Chelimo set a remarkable time of 27:07.91 in Stockholm, breaking both the junior and the senior 10,000 metres world records. He held the senior record for only five days before it was surpassed by his fellow Kenyan Yobes Ondieki. The junior record stood for over 11 years, until 2004.

At the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Chelimo finished third in the 10,000 metres, behind Tanui and Haile Gebrselassie. A notable moment in that race was Gebrselassie allegedly causing Tanui to lose a shoe during the final stretch.

Chelimo retired from athletics in 1996. He later returned to his army job, gained weight, and struggled with alcohol, but friends encouraged him to train again. He managed to regain much of his fitness. Richard Chelimo died of a brain tumor at the age of 29.