Geoffrey Kamworor

Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor (born 22 November 1992) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. He won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics. Kamworor claimed victories at the World Half Marathon Championships three times in a row from 2014 to 2018. He took individual titles at the World Cross Country Championships in 2015 and 2017, and finished third in 2019. He won his first World Marathon Major at the 2017 New York City Marathon and regained his title in 2019, after a second-place finish in 2015. Kamworor also placed second at the 2023 London Marathon and earned three other podium finishes at a World Marathon Majors.

Geoffrey Kamworor

Kamworor at the 2018 Kenyan Cross Country Championships
Personal information
Born	(1992-11-22) 22 November 1992 (age 31) Chepsamo, Chepkorio, Rift Valley Province, Kenya
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	58 kg (128 lb)
Sport
Country	Kenya
Sport	Sport of athletics
Event	Long-distance running
Team	NN Running Team
Coached by	Patrick Sang
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	2016 Rio de Janeiro 10,000 m, 11th
World finals	2015 Beijing 10,000 m,  Silver 2017 London 10,000 m, 6th
Personal bests	5000 m: 12:59.98 (Eugene 2016) 10,000 m: 26:52.65 (Eugene 2015) Road 10 km: 27:44 (Bangalore 2014) Half marathon: 58:01 (Copenhagen 2019) Marathon: 2:04:23 (London 2023)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Kenya World Championships 2015 Beijing 10,000 m World Half Marathon Championships 2014 Copenhagen Individual 2016 Cardiff Individual 2016 Cardiff Team 2018 Valencia Individual 2014 Copenhagen Team 2018 Valencia Team World Marathon Majors 2017 New York Marathon 2019 New York Marathon 2015 New York Marathon 2023 London Marathon 2012 Berlin Marathon 2013 Berlin Marathon 2018 New York Marathon World Cross Country Championships 2011 Punta Umbria Junior race 2011 Punta Umbria Junior team 2015 Guiyang Senior race 2017 Kampala Senior race 2023 Bathurst Senior team 2015 Guiyang Senior team 2017 Kampala Senior team 2019 Aarhus Senior team 2019 Aarhus Senior race

At age 18, he was the 2011 World Junior Cross Country champion. Kamworor is the former half marathon world record holder, having won the Copenhagen Half Marathon with a time of 58:01 in September 2019. His record stood until December 2020 when it was bested by Kibiwott Kandie at the 2020 Valencia Half Marathon.^[1]

Career

Geoffrey was raised in the village of Chepkorio in Kenya's Rift Valley Province,^[2] and first competed abroad in 2010, when he travelled to Finland and set track bests of 3:48.15 minutes for the 1500 metres and 7:54.15 minutes over 3000 metres.^[3] The following year he took to the Kenya cross country circuit and won at the Discovery Kenya Cross Country in Eldoret, defeating Essa Ismail Rashed.^[4] At the Kenyan Cross Country Championships a month later, he ran in the junior section and finished in fourth, which was enough to earn him a place on the team for the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.^[5] The world competition proved to be a pivotal moment for Kamworor's career, although it was his teammate Isiah Kiplangat Koech who was the pre-race favourite. The Kenyans were not given any team instructions and Kamworor reacted by taking the lead immediately with a very fast start. He never slipped out of the lead and out ran the field on the final lap to take the world junior title.^[2]

A month after his cross country victory, he entered the Berlin Half Marathon and won in a time of 1:00:38 hours.^[6] In June he competed in the 2011 IAAF Diamond League circuit: he set a 5000 metres best of 13:12.23 minutes at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York, then improved his 10,000 metres time to 27:06.35 minutes at the Prefontaine Classic.^[3] He knocked over half a minute off his half marathon best to win the Lille Half Marathon that September.^[7] Kamworor was employed as a pacemaker for the 2011 Berlin Marathon and his work resulted in a new world record for Patrick Makau.^[8] In his final outing of the year he ended the Delhi Half Marathon as runner-up to Lelisa Desisa after a sprint finish,^[9] although his time of 59:31 minutes made him the seventh fastest over the distance that year.^[10]

Kamworor marked his entrance into the senior cross country ranks with a win at the 2012 Cross Internacional de Itálica in Seville.^[11][12] He was the runner-up at the Elgoibar Cross Country behind Paul Tanui the following week.^[13] He set a half marathon best at the CPC Loop Den Haag in March, recording a time of 59:26 minutes for fourth place in a high calibre competition.^[14] He was enlisted to pace the Rotterdam Marathon and led the runners quicker than the world record pace up to 30 km.^[15] He won the World 10K Bangalore title, beating a large field of prominent runners.^[16] His marathon debut, not as a pacemaker, came in September, where he ran a fast time of 2:06:12 hours to claim third place at the 2012 Berlin Marathon.^[17]

In the 2013 season he ran a series of half and full marathons. He won the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon with a time of 58:54, a new personal best and just two seconds outside the course record.^[18] He was the winner of the Bogotá Half Marathon in July and was runner-up to Atsedu Tsegay at the Delhi Half Marathon.^[19][20] He placed fourth at the Rotterdam Marathon (2:09:12 hours) and his best performance that year was a run of 2:06:26 hours for third at the 2013 Berlin Marathon.^[21]

In 2014, Kamworor placed sixth at the Tokyo marathon But in March he did win the world half Marathon Championships, defeating five time world half Marathon Championships winner Zersenay Tadese.

In 2015, he started off his year by winning the world cross country championships, beating Muktha of Ethiopia.^[22] He then won the Prefontaine classic 10k, the Kenyan National thousand and 10 K and the world championship silver medal in the 10,000 m.

Kamworor won the 2017 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:10:53. He beat fellow Kenyan, Wilson Kipsang, who placed second, just three seconds behind him.^[23]

In 2018, he won his third straight half marathon world championship in Valencia in 1:00:02.^[24] Also in 2018 Kamworor placed third in the 2018 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:06:26 behind the first and second place Ethiopian runners Lelisa Desisa and Shura Kitata.

Kamworor won the Copenhagen Half Marathon on 15 September 2019 in a world record time of 58:01.^[25] In November, he won the 2019 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:08:13, his second time winning the race in three years.^[26][27]

On June 27, 2020, Kamworor was hit by a motorcycle while out on a daily run resulting in a tibia fracture that required surgery.^[28] In January 2021, he ran his first race since the accident, winning the 2021 Kenya Police Cross Country Championship 10k in a time of 29:22.^[29] On June 18, 2021, he secured his spot on the Kenyan 2020 Olympic 10000 metre team by winning at the Kenyan trials in Kasarani in 27:01.^[30]

Kamworor was set to compete in the Tokyo Olympics but had to pull out of the competition due to an ankle injury.^[31]

Achievements

Kamworor (R) races at the 2019 New York City Marathon.

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result
Representing  Kenya
2011	World Cross Country Championships	Punta Umbria, Spain	1st	Junior race	22:21
			1st	Junior team	20 pts
2014	World Half Marathon Championships	Copenhagen, Denmark	1st	Half marathon	59:08
			2nd	Team	2:59:38
2015	World Cross Country Championships	Guiyang, China	1st	Senior race	34:52
			2nd	Senior team	20 pts
	World Championships	Beijing, China	2nd	10,000 m	27:01.76
2016	World Half Marathon Championships	Cardiff, United Kingdom	1st	Half marathon	59:10
			1st	Team	2:58:58
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	11th	10,000 m	27:31.94
2017	World Cross Country Championships	Kampala, Uganda	1st	Senior race	28:24
			2nd	Senior team	22 pts
	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	6th	10,000 m	26:57.77
2018	World Half Marathon Championships	Valencia, Spain	1st	Half marathon	60:02
			2nd	Team	3:02:40
2019	World Cross Country Championships	Aarhus, Denmark	3rd	Senior race	31:55
			2nd	Senior team	43 pts
2022	World Championships	Eugene, OR, United States	5th	Marathon	2:07:14
2023	World Cross Country Championships	Bathurst, Australia	4th	Senior race	29:37
			1st	Senior team	22 pts
World Marathon Majors
2012	Berlin Marathon	Berlin, Germany	3rd	Marathon	2:06:12
2013	Berlin Marathon	Berlin, Germany	3rd	Marathon	2:06:26
2014	Tokyo Marathon	Tokyo, Japan	6th	Marathon	2:07:37
	Berlin Marathon	Berlin, Germany	4th	Marathon	2:06:39
2015	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	2nd	Marathon	2:10:48
2017	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:10:53
2018	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	3rd	Marathon	2:06:26
2019	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:08:13
2023	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	2nd	Marathon	2:04:23

Personal bests

• 5000 metres – 12:59.98 (Eugene, OR 2016)
• 10,000 metres – 26:52.65 (Eugene, OR 2015)

Road

• 10 kilometres – 27:44 (Bangalore 2014)
• Half marathon – 58:01 (Copenhagen 2019) former World record
• Marathon – 2:04:23 (London 2023)

References

1. "Kenya's Geoffrey Kamworor smashes half marathon world record". bbc.co.uk. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
2. Minshull, Phil (20 March 2011). "Kipsang upsets the odds – Men's Junior Race Report – Punta Umbria 2011". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
3. Kipsang Geoffrey. IAAF Diamond League. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
4. Macharia, David (24 January 2011). "Jepleting and Kipsang take Discovery Kenya XC titles in Eldoret". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
5. Mutuota, Mutwiri (19 February 2011). "Mutai and Masai take hard fought wins in Nairobi; reigning World champs Ebuya and Chebet won't defend". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
6. Wenig, Jörg (3 April 2011). "Teenagers triumph at Berlin Half Marathon". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
7. Civai, Franco & Lefeuvre, Thierry (6 September 2011). Lille Métropole Half Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
8. Robinson, Roger (21 September 2011). "The Great Berlin Time Trial". Running Times. Runner's World. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
9. Krishnan, Ram. Murali (27 November 2011). "In close races, Desisa and Kabuu prevail in New Delhi Half". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
10. "Men's Half Marathon 2011". IAAF. 3 January 2012. Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
11. "Kamworor wins half marathon gold as Kenya dominates". 27 March 2016.
12. Valiente, Emeterio (15 January 2012). "Kipsang and Masai reign in rainy Seville". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
13. Valiente, Emeterio (22 January 2012). "Tanui and Wude Yimer take the spoils at Elgoibar Cross Country". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
14. van Hemert, Wim (12 March 2012). "Five runners under 60 minutes in The Hague". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
15. van Hemert, Wim (15 April 2012). "Spectacular double Ethiopian success brings home 2:04 and 2:18 victories in Rotterdam". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
16. Krishnan, Ram. Murali (27 May 2012). "Kipsang and Kiprop lead Kenyan double podium sweep in Bangalore". IAAF. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
17. Butcher, Pat (30 September 2012). "Close victory for Mutai but more straightforward for Kebede in Berlin – REPORT". IAAF. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
18. Williamson, Norrie (15 February 2013). "Kabuu and Kipsang triumph in high-quality races at Ras al-Khaimah Half". IAAF. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
19. Biscayart, Eduardo (28 July 2013). "Kipsang and Jeptoo win in Bogota". IAAF. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
20. Mulkeen, Jon (15 February 2013). "Tsegay breaks course record at Delhi Half Marathon". IAAF. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
21. Butcher, Pat (29 September 2013). "Kipsang sets World record of 2:03:23 at Berlin Marathon". IAAF. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
22. "World Cross Guiyang senior men Kamworor". www.iaaf.org. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
23. "USA's Shalane Flanagan, Kenya's Geoffrey Kamworor, and Switzerland's Marcel Hug and Manuela Schär Win 2017 TCS New York City Marathon". The Run On. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
24. "IAAF: Half Marathon Result | IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018 | iaaf.org". iaaf.org. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
25. "Kamworor breaks world half marathon record in Copenhagen with 58:01". www.iaaf.org. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
26. Crouse, Lindsay (3 November 2019). "Kenyan Runners Dominate in N.Y.C. Marathon". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
27. "2019 New York City Marathon Results". NBC Sports. 3 November 2019. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
28. "Geoffrey Kamworor hit by motorcycle, suffers fractured tibia". 28 June 2020.
29. "Geoffrey Kamworor wins 2021 Kenya Police Cross Country Championships". 29 January 2021.
30. "Athletics: Geoffrey Kamworor books Tokyo 2020 spot in 10,000m by winning at Kenyan trials".
31. "Kenya's Kamworor pulls out of Olympics with injury". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 July 2021.

External links

• Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor at World Athletics
• Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor at Diamond League
• Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor at Olympedia

Records
Preceded by Zersenay Tadese	Men's half marathon world record holder 15 September 2019 – 6 December 2020	Succeeded by Kibiwott Kandie