James Kiplagat Magut (born 20 July 1990) is a Kenyan from Nandi County Kosirai ward

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 ...

who specialises in 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 ...

. He has a personal best of 3:30.61 minutes for the event as well as a best of 3:50.68 minutes for 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 ...

. He won his first medals as a teenager, taking second at the

2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2008 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Bydgoszcz in Poland at the Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium between 8 and 13 July 2008. Previously Bydgoszcz hosted ...

and winning the

2009 African Junior Athletics Championships The 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships were held in Bambous, Mauritius from 30 July to 2 August. There were 40 events in total, of which 20 were contested by male athletes and 20 by female athletes. Multiple gold medallists Caster Semeny ...

. His first senior podium finish soon followed: on his major international debut at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

, he claimed the silver medal. He was the bronze medallist at the

2012 African Championships in Athletics The 2012 African Championships in Athletics was held at the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto Novo, Benin from 27 June to 1 July 2012. It was the first time that Benin had hosted the event. Medal summary Men Women Medal table Participatin ...

. Magut was part of the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

-setting 4×1500 metres relay team that won the gold medal at the

2014 IAAF World Relays The 2014 IAAF World Relays were held in May 2014 in Nassau, Bahamas, Nassau, the Bahamas, Bahamas. The event was the first edition of the IAAF World Relays. There were five events for each gender. In men's and women's 4 × 100 metres and 4 × 400 ...

Career

Born in

Nandi County Nandi County is a county in Kenya in the North Rift, occupying an area of 2,884.4 square kilometres. Its capital, Kapsabet, is the largest town in the county while other towns include Mosoriot, Tinderet, Kobujoi, Kaiboi, Kabiyet and Nandi H ...

, Magut gained his first national selection after a runner-up finish in the 1500 m at the Kenyan junior championships. At the

, he seemed set to win the title but Algeria's

Imad Touil Imad Touil (born 11 February 1989) is an Algerian middle-distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. At the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Bydgoszcz, Poland, Touil won a gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded fo ...

narrowly beat him into second place by a tenth of a second. Following this he performed in Europe for the first time, finishing in the top ten at the

Rieti Meeting The Rieti Meeting is an annual athletics event at the Stadio Raul Guidobaldi in Rieti, Italy that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF World Challenge. It was firs ...

and

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 ...

.James Magut
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 28 May 2014. The next year, the eighteen-year-old runner won the Kenyan high school championship, holding off

Nixon Chepseba Nixon Kiplimo Chepseba (born 12 December 1990) (Keiyo in Kenya) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner (1.84m) who specializes in the 1500 metres. He was the 2011 Diamond League series winner of that event and has a personal best of 3:29.90 minu ...

. He topped the podium at the

. He competed infrequently the year after, but in spite of this won his first major medal in the form of a silver behind

Silas Kiplagat Silas Kiplagat (born 20 August 1989) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. He has a personal best of 3:27.64 minutes, which makes him the sixth fastest of all-time over the distance. Born in Siboh Village, Mar ...

at the

. Magut missed the 2011 season due to a knee injury,Lee, Kirby (2 June 2012)
Dibaba 30:24.39 and Kiprop 27:01.98 on stunning but wet first night in Eugene – Samsung Diamond League
IAAF. Retrieved on 28 May 2014. but returned in May 2012 with a win at the Kenyan Armed Forces Championships, then his first sub- four-minute mile to win 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 ...

meeting. He set a new best of 3:50.68 for the distance at the

Dream Mile The Dream Mile may refer to the annual Diamond League race in Oslo at Bislett Stadium, or several historic individual races featuring top middle-distance runners. Dream Mile (Bislett) The Dream Mile is an annual mile race run at Bislett Stadium, ...

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 ...

a week later – this was only enough for sixth at the higher calibre event, but still ranked him the eighth fastest runner that year. He ran a 1500 m personal best of 3:34.60 minutes to place second at the national championship race, but faltered at the Kenyan Olympic trials, coming in sixth place and failing to break 3:40 minutes. This run still earned him a spot on the team for the

, where he took the bronze medal, half a second behind the winner Caleb Mwangangi. Magut came third 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 ...

(his first top three placing on the

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 ...

) and peaked for the season at the Hanžeković Memorial, winning with a personal best of 3:33.31 minutes. At the start of his 2013 season, he won at the

Melbourne Track Classic The Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne is an annual outdoor track and field meeting which takes place in February at the Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne, Australia since 2023. Last held under the old name, Melbourne Track Classic, in early March 2016, ...

, then in the Prefontaine Classic mile. He was third at the Bislett Games and was runner-up at the national championships. He did not finish in the top three at the Kenyan World Championships trials and failed to finish at the

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 ...

and

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 ...

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 ...

meets. His best run that year came at the

London Grand Prix The London Athletics Meet, formerly known as the London Grand Prix and subsequently as the Anniversary Games and London Diamond League, is an annual athletics event held in London, England. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix even ...

, where he was third in the mile in a near personal best of 3:50.93 minutes, ranking him eighth that year for the distance. Magut had a string of victories in Australia in early 2014, winning in Melbourne,

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

and

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. A personal best for the 1500 m followed 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, although his time of 3:30.61 minutes placed him fifth in the quick race. These performances earned him a place on the Kenyan 4×1500 metres relay team for the inaugural

. Running alongside

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 ...

and

Collins Cheboi Collins Cheboi Kiprotich (born 25 September 1987) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. His personal best for the event is 3:31.53 minutes. He was a silver medallist at the 2011 All-Africa Games and was part of ...

, the group won the gold medal in a

-breaking time of 14:22.22 minutes – a fourteen-second improvement.Kenya's 4x1500m men throw caution to the winds
IAAF (26 May 2014). Retrieved on 29 May 2014.

Personal bests

1000 metres The 1000 metres, 1 kilometer run, or 1K run is an uncommon middle-distance running event in track and field competitions. It consists of two and a half laps around an outdoor 400 m track, or five laps around an indoor 200 m track. The 1000 ...

– 2:19.72 minutes (2013) *

– 3:30.61 minutes (2014) *1500 metres (indoors) – 3:48.65 minutes (2014) *

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 ...

– 3:50.68 minutes (2012)

International competition record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Magut, James Kiplagat Living people 1990 births Kenyan male middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Kenya Commonwealth Games athletes for Kenya Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Kenya World Athletics record holders (relay) Athletes from Nandi County Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics Commonwealth Games silver medallists in athletics