Bethwell Birgen (born 6 August 1988) is a Kenyan

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, ranging from 500 metres up to . The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distanc ...

. His personal best of 3:30.77 minutes for the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...

ranks him among the top fifty ever for the event, while his indoor best of 3:34.65 minutes is among the top twenty. He represented Kenya in the 1500 m at the

2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the 14th edition of the global-level indoor track and field competition and was held between March 9–11, 2012 at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the first of fo ...

and the

2013 World Championships in Athletics The 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Moscow 2013; ) was an international athletics (sport), athletics competition held in Moscow, Russia, from 10 to 18 August 2013. Initially, Russia at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics, Russia ...

, but did not make the final on either occasion.

Career

He made his first appearances on the European

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

circuit in 2009. He debuted with a personal best of 3:37.39 minutes for the

to take fourth at the

Bislett Games The Bislett Games is an annual track and field meeting at the Bislett Stadium in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League. History The first international athletics meeting at Bislett ...

, reducing this by a further second and a half at the Leichtathletik-Gala in

Wattenscheid Wattenscheid () is a of the city of Bochum. Until 1975, it was a separate town in the Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia. Wattenscheid has a population of about 80,000 citizens. Some notable firms have their headquarters in there, such as St ...

, then placed fourth at the

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor racing event organised in the United Kingdom by Motorsport UK. First held by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) in 1926 British Grand Prix, 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 ...

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

.Bethwell Birgen
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2014-03-02. He was part of a mixed nations team in a 4×1500 metres relay at the

Memorial Van Damme The Memorial Van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it now serves as a final event of the D ...

and helped set the fourth fastest time ever for the infrequently contested event. He set two personal bests in 2010: he ran 3:35.60 minutes for the 1500 m and 7:39.65 for the

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000 m sho ...

. He ran 3:34.59 to come seventh at the

Shanghai Diamond League The Shanghai Diamond League is an annual athletics event at the Shanghai Stadium in Shanghai, China, as part of the Diamond League. The meeting was founded as the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in 2005. The meet assumed its current name in 2010. Fro ...

meeting in 2011, but failed to make the final at the Kenyan World Championships trials.Bethwell Birgen
. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-03-02. Birgen improved his times on the circuit significantly in 2012. He won the Weltklasse in Karlsruhe indoor meet and his time of 3:34.65 was the second fastest indoors that year. This, alongside runner-up placings at the

XL Galan The Globen Galan is an annual indoor athletics event held in February at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. The meeting was first held in 1990 and from 2000 to 2010 known as GE Galan, because General Electric was the official title sponsor. ...

and Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix earned him selection for the

, but on the global stage he was eliminated in the first round, the fastest runner not to progress. He knocked over three seconds off his 1500 m best at the

Doha Diamond League The Doha Diamond League is an annual one-day track and field meeting held at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar. It is part of the Diamond League – the top level international circuit for the sport. It is typically held in May as the ...

meet, coming third behind Silas Kiplagat and

Asbel Kiprop Asbel Kipruto Kiprop (born 30 June 1989) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner, who specialises in the 1500 metres. He was awarded the 1500 m gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics after the original winner, Rashid Ramzi, tested positive for ...

. A fourth-place finish in the

mile run The mile run (1,760 yards, 5,280 Foot (unit), feet, or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance running, middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling ...

at the

Prefontaine Classic The Prefontaine Classic is a track and field meet held at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Organized by the Oregon Track Club, it was previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, and ...

saw him set another personal best of 3:50.43 minutes. He did not make the Kenyan Olympic team, coming fifth at the trials, but continued to compete on the

2012 IAAF Diamond League The 2012 IAAF Diamond League (also known as the 2012 Samsung Diamond League for sponsorship purposes) was the third edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 11 May in Doha, Q ...

circuit. A run of 3:31.00 minutes ranked him seventh in the world that year, but only fifth in the quick race at

Herculis The Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events. Herculis is now part of the Diamond League. Editions World records Over the course of its histo ...

. He was runner-up at the

ISTAF Berlin The Internationales Stadionfest (ISTAF) is an annual track and field athletics meeting at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. It was first held in July 1921 at the Deutsches Stadion, which was replaced from 1937 by the Stadium of the 1936 ...

and third at the Van Damme Memorial final. At the start of 2013 he won the Russian Winter Meeting in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, narrowly holding of Aman Wote to finish in 3:35.25 minutes (the seconds fastest indoors that season). In the

2013 IAAF Diamond League The 2013 IAAF Diamond League was the fourth edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 10 May in Doha, Qatar and ended on 6 September in Brussels, Belgium. Calendar Winner ...

meetings he finished outside of the top three at all but the

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

meet, where he was runner-up. He had a repeat experience at the Monaco Herculis meeting, running a best of 3:30.77 minutes to rank fifth in the world, but fourth in the race. Despite disappointment on the track circuit, he was chosen to represent Kenya at the

. His brother Bernard Kiprop Koech was also running (in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

), making them one of several siblings to attend the event. In the World Championship 1500 metres he reached the semi-final but was tenth in that race and did not make the final. Birgen made another strong start to the indoor circuit, winning the PSD Bank Meeting and was a close second to Silas Kiplagat the Russian Winter Meeting. He was chosen for the

2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the fifteenth edition of the international indoor track and field competition, organised by the IAAF. The event was held between 7–9 March 2014 at the Ergo Arena in Sopot, Poland. Prepar ...

as a result.Obiri leads Kenyan team for Sopot – IAAF World Indoor Championships
IAAF (2014-02-25). Retrieved on 2014-03-02.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Birgen, Bethwell Living people 1988 births Kenyan male middle-distance runners 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen