Richard Chelimo
Encyclopedia
Richard Chelimo (24 February 1972 – 15 August 2001) was a Kenya
n athlete, and a former world
and world junior record holder over 10,000 m. However, he is best known as the silver medallist in the controversial 10,000 m at the 1992 Olympics
in Barcelona
.
region of Kenya, was a member of the Kalenjin tribe (known by some as the "running tribe"). He came from a noted athletic family, even amongst the tribesmen, his cousin, Moses Kiptanui
, was a three-time steeplechase
world champion
, whilst his brother, Ismael Kirui
, was twice world champion over 5000 m.
championship in Aix-les-Bains
, France
, where he took silver. Though Chelimo received little attention due to the Kenyan domination of the event, their team won 10 successive junior titles.
However, it was not long before the athletic community took notice of Chelimo's talent. Later that year he won the gold medal in the 10,000 m at the world junior championships in Plovdiv
, Bulgaria
. Chelimo won the race by 12 seconds from his own brother, Kirui, who was only 15 at the time.
Chelimo was selected in the Kenyan senior squad for the 10,000 m at the 1991 world championships
, which took place in Tokyo
. As Kenya's second runner he was assigned the task of being pacemaker
to Moses Tanui
. He was successful in dragging Tanui clear of his main rival, Morocco
's Khalid Skah
, and on the final lap he allowed Tanui to sprint clear to take the gold medal.
The following year, at the Olympics, Chelimo met Skah again. With three laps remaining in the 10,000 m final the two athletes were clear and battling for the gold medal. At this point the pair came to lap another Moroccan athlete, Hammou Boutayeb
, who stayed with the leaders even after being lapped. This act was contrary to the spirit of the competition and the crowd booed their disapproval. The rules state that a lapped runner cannot "assist" another runner but, although Boutayeb's actions were unsportsmanlike, it is not certain that there was any collusion, that Skah gained any advantage or that Chelimo was disadvantaged. These events incensed the Spanish
crowd, and the Swedish
track judge Carl-Gustav Tollemar attempted to stop Boutayeb but, the latter being younger, fitter and moving at speed, he was unable to.
During the final 150 m Skah sprinted away from Chelimo to win the race, and was disqualified, making Chelimo the Olympic champion. However, the Moroccans appealed against the disqualification and Skah was reinstated the next morning because the rule under which he was disqualified did not define a penalty. During the medal ceremony Skah was loudly booed by the crowd, whilst Chelimo received a standing ovation.
In 1993 Chelimo broke the world junior and senior 10,000 m world record, in a time of 27 min 07.91 s, in Stockholm
. He was to hold the senior world record for only five days before it was broken again by his compatriot Yobes Ondieki
. He held the junior record for over 11 years before it was broken by Uganda
n Boniface Kiprop Toroitich at a Golden League
meeting on 3 September 2004, in a time of 27 min 04.00 s.
At the 1993 world championships
in Stuttgart
, Germany
, Chelimo once again failed to win gold at a major championships. He managed only third place as he could not match the pace of Tanui and, a new star from Ethiopia
, Haile Gebrselassie
. This was another controversial race as Tanui lost a shoe after Gebreselassie stepped on his heel; the Ethiopian went on to win the race.
. However, his friends Tanui and William Mutwol
encouraged him to return to training and get back into shape. Chelimo eventually got back down to within 5 kg of his racing weight. He died of a brain tumour at the age of 29.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n athlete, and a former world
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
and world junior record holder over 10,000 m. However, he is best known as the silver medallist in the controversial 10,000 m at the 1992 Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.
Family and tribe
Chelimo, who was born in the MarakwetMarakwet District
Marakwet District is an administrative district in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Kapsowar. The district has a population of 140.629 . Local people are predominantly of the Marakwet tribe....
region of Kenya, was a member of the Kalenjin tribe (known by some as the "running tribe"). He came from a noted athletic family, even amongst the tribesmen, his cousin, Moses Kiptanui
Moses Kiptanui
Moses Kiptanui is a middle and long distance athlete mostly famous for 3,000 m steeplechase in which he was the number one ranked athlete from 1991 to 1995 and three time IAAF World Champion...
, was a three-time steeplechase
Steeplechase (athletics)
The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.-Rules:The length of the race is usually 3000 m; junior events are 2000 m, as women's events formerly were. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. Over 3000 m, each...
world champion
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
, whilst his brother, Ismael Kirui
Ismael Kirui
Ismael Kirui is a former Kenyan long distance runner who won gold medals over 5000 metres at the 1993 and 1995 World Championships in Athletics....
, was twice world champion over 5000 m.
Athletic career
Chelimo's first international success was in the junior section of the 1990 world cross countryCross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
championship in Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is situated on the shore of Lac du Bourget, by rail north of Chambéry.-Geography:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he took silver. Though Chelimo received little attention due to the Kenyan domination of the event, their team won 10 successive junior titles.
However, it was not long before the athletic community took notice of Chelimo's talent. Later that year he won the gold medal in the 10,000 m at the world junior championships in Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. Chelimo won the race by 12 seconds from his own brother, Kirui, who was only 15 at the time.
Chelimo was selected in the Kenyan senior squad for the 10,000 m at the 1991 world championships
1991 World Championships in Athletics
The 3rd World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan between August 23 and September 1 and athletes from 167 countries participated in the event.The event is best-remembered for the...
, which took place in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. As Kenya's second runner he was assigned the task of being pacemaker
Pacemaker (track)
A pacemaker or pace-setter is a runner who leads a middle- or long distance running event for the first section to ensure a fast time and avoid excessive tactical racing. Pacemakers are frequently employed by race organisers for world record attempts with specific instructions for lap times...
to Moses Tanui
Moses Tanui
Moses Tanui is a former Kenyan long-distance runner who won the gold medal over 10000 m at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo....
. He was successful in dragging Tanui clear of his main rival, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
's Khalid Skah
Khalid Skah
Khalid Skah is a Moroccan athlete, winner of 10 000 m at the 1992 Summer Olympics.Born in Midelt, Morocco, Khalid Skah established himself first as a good cross country runner by winning the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 1990 and 1991.His first major tournament on track was 1991 World...
, and on the final lap he allowed Tanui to sprint clear to take the gold medal.
The following year, at the Olympics, Chelimo met Skah again. With three laps remaining in the 10,000 m final the two athletes were clear and battling for the gold medal. At this point the pair came to lap another Moroccan athlete, Hammou Boutayeb
Hammou Boutayeb
Hammou Boutayeb is a Moroccan long-distance runner. He specialized in the 10,000 metresBoutayeb won a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships held in Seville, Spain.-Achievements:-External links:...
, who stayed with the leaders even after being lapped. This act was contrary to the spirit of the competition and the crowd booed their disapproval. The rules state that a lapped runner cannot "assist" another runner but, although Boutayeb's actions were unsportsmanlike, it is not certain that there was any collusion, that Skah gained any advantage or that Chelimo was disadvantaged. These events incensed the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
crowd, and the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
track judge Carl-Gustav Tollemar attempted to stop Boutayeb but, the latter being younger, fitter and moving at speed, he was unable to.
During the final 150 m Skah sprinted away from Chelimo to win the race, and was disqualified, making Chelimo the Olympic champion. However, the Moroccans appealed against the disqualification and Skah was reinstated the next morning because the rule under which he was disqualified did not define a penalty. During the medal ceremony Skah was loudly booed by the crowd, whilst Chelimo received a standing ovation.
In 1993 Chelimo broke the world junior and senior 10,000 m world record, in a time of 27 min 07.91 s, in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. He was to hold the senior world record for only five days before it was broken again by his compatriot Yobes Ondieki
Yobes Ondieki
Yobes Ondieki is a former Kenyan 5000 m runner, who won the World Championships' gold medal in Tokyo 1991. In the same year he set a temporary Kenyan 5000 m record of 13:01.82 in Zurich...
. He held the junior record for over 11 years before it was broken by Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
n Boniface Kiprop Toroitich at a Golden League
IAAF Golden League
The IAAF Golden League was an annual series of track and field meetings organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations...
meeting on 3 September 2004, in a time of 27 min 04.00 s.
At the 1993 world championships
1993 World Championships in Athletics
The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Chelimo once again failed to win gold at a major championships. He managed only third place as he could not match the pace of Tanui and, a new star from Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon...
. This was another controversial race as Tanui lost a shoe after Gebreselassie stepped on his heel; the Ethiopian went on to win the race.
Life after athletics
Chelimo retired from athletics in 1996, according to his cousin, Kiptanui, he retired after growing despondent following his failure to rise to the very top of the sport. He returned to his old job in the army and put on a lot of weight and began to drink excessively — a decline quite similar to that of Henry RonoHenry Rono
Henry Rono is a Kenyan former athlete.-Biography:Rono was born in Nandi Hills, Kenya, into the Nandi tribe. He started running while at primary school. Starting in 1976 he attended the Washington State University, along with his compatriot Samson Kimobwa, who broke the 10,000 meter world record in...
. However, his friends Tanui and William Mutwol
William Mutwol
William Mutwol is a former middle distance runner from Kenya. Running in 8:10.74 he won the bronze medal in 3,000 metres steeplechase at the 1992 Summer Olympics.- References :...
encouraged him to return to training and get back into shape. Chelimo eventually got back down to within 5 kg of his racing weight. He died of a brain tumour at the age of 29.