Wilson Kiprop Athlete
Wilson Kiprop (born April 14, 1987 in Soi, Uasin Gishu District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specializes in the 10,000 metres and half marathon. He was the world champion at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2010 and was the 10,000 m gold medalist at the 2010 African Championships in Athletics. He started competing at the top level in 2008, winning competitions in Italy and working under two Italian coaches, Renato Canova and Gabriele Nicola. He was the 2008 champion at the Cross della Vallagarina and the Corrida di San Geminiano. The following year he won the Vallagarina race for a second time running and came first at the Eurocross and Trofeo Sant'Agata races. In 2009, an injury prevented him from competing for six 6 months, but he resolved the problem by working in the gym, together with a limited amount of running. He also improved his running posture and began the 2010 season with a view to competing in a marathon in spring. After his debut in the Prague Marathon and a win at the Paris Half Marathon, Kiprop turned to at the 10,000 m. His victory over the distance at the Kenyan Championships was unexpected, and his time bettered the world best performance at altitude by almost 18 seconds. After that performance, Wilson was selected for the African Championships in Nairobi, where he won in the 10,000 m gold medal, beating Moses Ndiema Kipsiro. After a victory in Lille Half Marathon in September with his best time of 59:34, he focused his preparation towards the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Nanning. He defeated the defending champion, Zersenay Tadese, breaking his four-year unbeaten streak at the event. The following year he was selected for the 10,000 m at the 2011 World Championships, but had to withdraw due to injury. He returned to action in November, winning at the Tuskys Wareng Cross Country. He closed the year with an appearance at the BOClassic 10K and he narrowly finished second to Edwin Soi. He defeated marathoner Geoffrey Mutai to win the Discovery Kenya Cross Country at the start of 2012. Despite being the pre-race favourite for the Berlin Half Marathon, he was beaten into second place by the lesser-known Denis Koech, although he ran a personal best time of 59:15 minutes.