René Kalmer
Encyclopedia
René Kalmer is a female South Africa
n runner who has competed over distances ranging from 800 metres
to the marathon
. She represented South Africa at the 2008 Summer Olympics
, running in the 1500 metres
. She is a two-time participant at the World Championships in Athletics (2001 and 2011) and has run at eight editions of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
. Her sister, Christine Kalmer, is also an international level runner.
Kalmer was born in the Roodepoort area of Johannesburg
. Her first international medals came at the 1997 African Junior Athletics Championships, where she was the bronze medal
list in both the 1500 m and 3000 metres
events. As a junior runner she competed at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics
and at the World Cross Country event from 1996 to 1999. Her first senior international appearances followed two years later: she came 30th in the short race at the 2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
and ran in the 1500 m heats at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics
. She also finished eleventh in 5000 metres
at the 2001 Summer Universiade
. She was the silver medal
list at the FISU World University Cross Country Championships in 2002, finishing behind Denisa Costescu. Over 5000 m she was eighth at the 2003 Summer Universiade
, ninth at the 2007 All-Africa Games
and sixth at the 2008 African Championships
.
She represented South Africa at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the women's 1500 metres, although she did not progress past the first round. Kalmer won her debut marathon
race in late 2009, beating opposition at the Soweto Marathon in a time of 2:44:06. She made her world indoor debut at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
: she recorded a South African record
in the heats, running 9:01.41, but she could not equal this effort in the 3000 metres final
and she finished ninth overall. Domestic success came outdoors soon after as she won the 1500 m and 5000 metres
races at the South Africa Senior Track and Field Championships, saying her marathon run had greatly increased her stamina.
Her first major outing of 2011 was at the World Cross Country Championships
and she came 31st overall. A personal best came at the 2011 Prague Marathon, where her time of 2:34:47 hours brought her fifth place. Kalmer ran in the marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
and finished in 31st place with a time of 2:38:16 hours. The Yokohama Women's Marathon
in November saw her further improve her times as she dipped under the two-and-a-half-hour mark, coming fifth in 2:29:59 hours.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n runner who has competed over distances ranging from 800 metres
800 metres
The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...
to the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
. She represented South Africa at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, running in the 1500 metres
1500 metres
The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
. She is a two-time participant at the World Championships in Athletics (2001 and 2011) and has run at eight editions of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Held annually and organised by International Association of Athletics Federations , it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the International Cross Country Championships...
. Her sister, Christine Kalmer, is also an international level runner.
Kalmer was born in the Roodepoort area of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. Her first international medals came at the 1997 African Junior Athletics Championships, where she was the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
list in both the 1500 m and 3000 metres
3000 metres
The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
events. As a junior runner she competed at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics
1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 1998 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Annecy, France from July 28 to August 2, 1998.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...
and at the World Cross Country event from 1996 to 1999. Her first senior international appearances followed two years later: she came 30th in the short race at the 2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 29th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 24–25 March 2001 in Ostend, Belgium.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
and ran in the 1500 m heats at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics
2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
. She also finished eleventh in 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
at the 2001 Summer Universiade
2001 Summer Universiade
The 2001 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXI Summer Universiade, was an international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, People's Republic of China, between the 22 August and 1 September. A total of 6757 athletes from 165 nations took part in 12 sports...
. She was the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
list at the FISU World University Cross Country Championships in 2002, finishing behind Denisa Costescu. Over 5000 m she was eighth at the 2003 Summer Universiade
2003 Summer Universiade
The 2003 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXII Summer Universiade, took place in Daegu, South Korea.-Emblem:* The alphabet letter "U" and five stars, which is FISU's emblem, make up the basis of the emblem for the Daegu Universiade....
, ninth at the 2007 All-Africa Games
Athletics at the 2007 All-Africa Games
The athletics competition at the 2007 All-Africa Games was held on the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers, Algeria between 18 July and 22 July 2007. Nigeria was the most successful nation of the competition having won nine golds and 24 medals in total. South Africa was a close second with seven golds...
and sixth at the 2008 African Championships
2008 African Championships in Athletics
The 16th African Championships in Athletics was held in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, from April 30 to May 4, 2008. The competition venue was the Addis Ababa Stadium. It is the largest Athletics event held in Ethiopia to date...
.
She represented South Africa at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the women's 1500 metres, although she did not progress past the first round. Kalmer won her debut marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
race in late 2009, beating opposition at the Soweto Marathon in a time of 2:44:06. She made her world indoor debut at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the ASPIRE Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010.-Bidding and organisation:...
: she recorded a South African record
South African records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in South Africa maintained by Athletics South Africa .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distanceA = affected by altitude# = not officially ratified...
in the heats, running 9:01.41, but she could not equal this effort in the 3000 metres final
2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 3000 metres
The women's 3000 metres at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships was held at the ASPIRE Dome on 12 and 13 March.-Medalists:-Records:-Qualification standards:-Schedule:-Heats:...
and she finished ninth overall. Domestic success came outdoors soon after as she won the 1500 m and 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
races at the South Africa Senior Track and Field Championships, saying her marathon run had greatly increased her stamina.
Her first major outing of 2011 was at the World Cross Country Championships
2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in Punta Umbría, Spain on 20 March 2011.-Preparation:The United States had expressed an interest in hosting the competition, but Punta Umbria was chosen as the host at the IAAF Council Meeting in November 2009...
and she came 31st overall. A personal best came at the 2011 Prague Marathon, where her time of 2:34:47 hours brought her fifth place. Kalmer ran in the marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011....
and finished in 31st place with a time of 2:38:16 hours. The Yokohama Women's Marathon
Yokohama Women's Marathon
The Yokohama Women's Marathon is an annual marathon held in Yokohama, Japan, and hosted by Japan Association of Athletics Federations, TV Asahi, the Asahi Shimbun...
in November saw her further improve her times as she dipped under the two-and-a-half-hour mark, coming fifth in 2:29:59 hours.
Personal bests
- 800 metres800 metresThe 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...
- 2:03.51 min (2000) - 1500 metres1500 metresThe 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
- 4:06.71 min (2008) - 3000 metres3000 metresThe 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
- 8:44.17 min (2010) - 5000 metres5000 metresThe 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
- 15:35.0 min (2007) - Half marathonHalf marathonA half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
- 1:10:37 hrs (2009) - MarathonMarathonThe marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
- 2:29:59 hrs (2011)