Hillary Kipsang Yego (born 2 April 1992) is a Kenyan

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

who competes in the

steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...

. He has a personal best of 8:03.57 minutes for the event. He was the gold medallist at the

2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics The 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics is the sixth edition of the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics. They were held at Brixen-Bressanone Sport Arena in Bressanone, Italy from 8–12 July 2009. Athletes had to be aged 16 or ...

Career

He began training alongside

Edwin Soi Edwin Cheruiyot Soi (born 3 March 1986) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in the 3000 and 5000 metres. He is a two-time Olympian for Kenya. His earliest honours were team gold medals with Kenya at the IAAF World Cro ...

and made his breakthrough in the 2009 season. After finishing second to Peter Lagat in the

2000 metres steeplechase The 2000 Metres Steeplechase is a rarely run senior athletics and a standard youth athletics event for the steeplechase in track and field. The event was part of the athletics programme for boys and girls at the IAAF World Youth Championships in ...

at the national youth trials he was chosen for the

. There he beat his Kenyan rival in the final stretch of the race, winning the gold medal in a time of 5:25.33 minutes in spite of his poor

hurdling Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today ...

technique. Yego attempted to gain qualification for the senior event at the Kenyan World trials

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually Abbreviation, abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase (athletics), steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 met ...

race, but finished in ninth place. A third-place finish at the national junior trials the following year meant he missed a berth for the steeplechase at the

2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to s ...

.Hillary Yego
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2013-08-24. He ran on the European circuit for the first time that year and set a best of 8:19.50 minutes for third at the

KBC Night of Athletics The KBC Night of Athletics () is an annual athletics event at the Stadium De Veen in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. It is officially presented and sponsored by the KBC Bank KBC Group N.V. is a Belgian universal multi-channel bank-insurer, focusing ...

.Hillary Yego
IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-08-24. Yego had his first season as a senior athlete in 2011 and he performed on the major

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

circuits. He set a meet record at the

Colorful Daegu Championships Meeting The Colorful Daegu Championships Meeting was an annual track and field competition at the Daegu Stadium in Daegu, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half o ...

in May then gained his first top three placing at an

IAAF Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fifteen invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics one-day meet competitions. The inaugural season was ...

race in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

with a personal best of 8:07.71 minutes. He was runner-up at the

Golden Spike Ostrava Golden Spike () is an annual athletics event at the Městský Stadion in Ostrava- Vítkovice, Czech Republic as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. It was first organized in 1961. The history of the meeting was interrupted in 1999, whe ...

meet and won at the

Hanžeković Memorial Hanžeković Memorial (), known also as Zagreb Meeting and Hanžek (hypocorism of the surname ''Hanžeković''), is an annual three-day Athletics (sport), athletics event held first weekend of September at three different locations in Zagreb, Cro ...

, but was out of the top three at other Diamond League races. He ranked eighth in the world in the steeplechase that year. He experimented with

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ru ...

events, running 1:02:26 for the

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

in 2011 and 2:19:21 hours for 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 ...

in 2012, but his skills were better suited to the steeplechase. He failed to make the 2012 Olympic team at the Kenyan Trials and did not make the top three at any

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 ...

meet. Yego returned his focus to just the steeplechase in 2013. He was third in Shanghai with a personal best of 8:03.57 minutes and was victorious at the

IAAF World Challenge Beijing IAAF World Challenge Beijing is an annual track and field competition held in Beijing, China, in May. First held in 2013, it takes place at the Beijing National Stadium, the venue for the Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics. It is part of the IA ...

with a meet record. He was third 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 ...

but again missed out on the major championship after an eleventh-place finish at the Kenyan World Trials. Yego had his first major victory at the

DN Galan BAUHAUS-galan, formerly known as DN-Galan is an annual, international athletics meeting that takes place at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm. Previously it was one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events until 2010, and has since been part of th ...

in August 2013. He won the race ahead of the best steeplechasers of his generation:

Paul Kipsiele Koech __NOTOC__ Paul Kipsiele Koech (born 10 November 1981) is a Kenyan runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He won the 2004 Olympic bronze medal in this event. His personal best of 7:54.31 minutes is the third fastest of all time. ...

Brimin Kiprop Kipruto Brimin Kipruto (born 31 July 1985) is a Kenyan professional middle-distance runner who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He was born in Korkitony, Keiyo District. He holds a personal best of 7:53.64 minutes which is the ...

Ezekiel Kemboi Ezekiel Kemboi Cheboi (born 25 May 1982) is a Kenyan professional athlete, winner of the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2009 World Championships, the 2011 World Championships, the 2012 Summer Olympics, the 2013 Worl ...

and

Conseslus Kipruto Conseslus Kipruto (born 8 December 1994) is a Kenyan Middle-distance running, middle-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He was the Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics, 2016 Rio Olympic champion in the event. At t ...

. He became eligible to compete internationally for Turkey in February 2020. As is common with Turkish transfers, he changed his name, becoming known as Hilal Yego.Transfers of allegiance - Decisions of the World Athletics Nationality Review Panel in 2020 (as of 8 May 2020)
World Athletics (2020-05-08). Retrieved 2020-05-30.

Personal bests

: 8:03.57 min (2013) *

(youth): 5:25.33 min (2009) *

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 ...

: 7:53.18 min (2010) *

Half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

: 1:02:26 hours (2011) *

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 ...

: 2:19:21 hours (2012)

International competitions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yego, Hillary Kipsang Living people 1992 births Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male steeplechase runners Kenyan male marathon runners Turkish male long-distance runners Turkish male steeplechase runners Turkish male marathon runners Turkish people of Kenyan descent Place of birth missing (living people) Diamond League winners 21st-century Turkish sportsmen 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen