Lilian Kasait Rengeruk

Lilian Kasait Rengeruk (born 3 May 1997, Keiyo District) is a Kenyan female long-distance runner. She won the bronze medal in the women's senior race at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships. Rengeruk is the former 3000 metres World Under-18 champion and World U20 Championship silver medallist.

Lilian Kasait Rengeruk

Rengeruk in 2017
Personal information
Nationality	Kenyan
Born	(1997-05-03) 3 May 1997 (age 27) West Pokot County, Kenya
Sport
Country	Kenya
Sport	Track and field
Event	Long-distance running
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Kenya African Games 2019 Rabat 5000 m World U20 Championships 2014 Eugene 3000 m World Youth Championships 2013 Donetsk 3000 m World Cross Country Championships 2017 Kampala Senior race 2017 Kampala Senior team 2019 Aarhus Senior team World Road Running Championships 2023 Riga 5K

In September 2022, Rengeruk was banned for 10 months commencing April of that year due to the use of hormone therapy drug.

Career

Rengeruk had her first successes in 2013, winning the Kenyan youth trials race before beating Ethiopia's Berhan Demiesa to take the 3000 metres title at the 2013 World Youth Championships in Athletics.^[1] The following year she placed fifth in the junior race at the African Cross Country Championships, sharing in the team gold. She pre-fixed a win at the Kenyan junior trials with a 3000 m best of 8:53.41 minutes on her IAAF Diamond League debut in Doha.^[2] At the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics, however, she was outdone by American home athlete Mary Cain, leaving Rengeruk with the silver medal.^[3]

Rengeruk's 2015 season was prematurely curtailed and she did not fare well at the 2016 African Cross Country Championships, managing only tenth in the junior race that year. She failed to make the top three at the Kenyan junior track trials that June.^[4] She emerged a much improved athlete in 2017 running in the senior ranks, starting with runner-up finishes at the Discovery Cross Country and the Kenyan Cross Country Championships; she was the only athlete to keep pace with Irene Chepet Cheptai in the national race.^[5] The Kenyan women's team was very strong for the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and Rengeruk took the bronze medal in the senior race as part of a Kenyan sweep of the top six places, where Cheptai was the victor.^[6][7] Although Rengeruk won the 5000 metres at the Kenyan Police Championships and the Kenyan Athletics Championships, she missed out on World Championships selection at the trials meet. She did perform well on the Diamond League circuit, having her first top three finish at the Prefontaine Classic in a personal best of 14:36.80 min, as well as setting a best of 8:32.73 min in the 3000 m at the Herculis meet.^[4]

She opened her 2017–18 cross country season with wins at the Tuskys Wareng Cross Country and Campaccio.^[8]

In 2019, she competed in the senior women's race at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Aarhus, Denmark.^[9] She finished in 12th place.^[9]

Doping ban

In September 2022, it was announced that Rengeruk had been banned from athletics for a period of 10 months commencing April 2022 for the use of hormone therapy drug Letrozole.^[10]

Personal bests

• 3000 metres – 8:28.96 (2021)
• 5000 metres – 14:23.05 (2023)^[11]

International competitions

Representing  Kenya

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
2013	World Youth Championships	Donetsk, Ukraine	1st	3000 m	8:58.74
2014	African Cross Country Championships	Kampala, Uganda	5th	Junior race	19:51
			1st	Junior team	13 pts
	World Junior Championships	Eugene, United States	2nd	3000 m	9:00.53
2016	African Cross Country Championships	Yaoundé, Cameroon	10th	Junior race	19,48
2017	World Cross Country Championships	Kampala, Uganda	3rd	Senior race	32:11
			1st	Senior team	10 pts
2018	African Championships	Asaba, Nigeria	5th	5000 m	16:04.51
2019	World Cross Country Championships	Aarhus, Denmark	12th	Senior race	37:35
			2nd	Senior team	25 pts
	African Games	Rabat, Morocco	1st	5000 m	15:33.63
	World Athletics Championships	Doha, Qatar	5th	5000 m	14:36.05
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	12th	5000 m	14:55.85
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	10th	5000 m	14:59.32
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	5th	10,000 m	30:45.04

Circuit wins, and National titles

• Diamond League
  • 2018: London Anniversary Games (3000 m)
• Kenyan Athletics Championships
  • 5000 metres: 2017

References

1. Bamford, Nicola (2013-07-10). World youth lead for Rengeruk to win 300. IAAF. Retrieved on 2018-01-15.
2. Mutuota, Mutwiri (2014-06-25). Alfred Kipketer the star of the Kenyan trials for the IAAF World Junior Championship. IAAF. Retrieved on 2018-01-15.
3. Morse, Parker (2014-07-25). Crowd control collapses as Cain beats her rivals into submissio. IAAF. Retrieved on 2018-01-15.
4. Lilian Kasait Rengeruk. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2018-01-15.
5. Evans, Kip (2017-02-18). Barsoton and Cheptai take Kenyan cross-country title. IAAF. Retrieved on 2018-01-15.
6. Ramsak, Bob (2016-03-26). Cheptai leads unprecedented top-six sweep for Kenya – IAAF World Cross Country Championships Kampala 20. IAAF. Retrieved on 2018-01-16.
7. Dutch, Taylor (2017-03-26). Kenya Claims Unprecedented Team Victory At IAAF World Cross Country. Flotrack. Retrieved on 2018-01-16.
8. Sampaolo, Diego (2016-01-06). Kibet and Rengeruk claim top spots at Campacci. IAAF. Retrieved on 2018-01-16.
9. "Senior women's race" (PDF). 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
10. "Kenyan athlete Rengeruk given 10-month doping ban". BBC Sport. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
11. Lilian Kasait RENGERUK. World Athletics. Retrieved on 2022-09-22.

External links

• Lilian Kasait Rengeruk at World Athletics