Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo (born October 27, 1990) is a Kenyan born American track and field athlete. He is the

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Olympic silver medalist and the

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Olympic bronze medalist in the

5000 meters The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...

and is known for his success at the highest level of athletics and controversial racing tactics.

Career

Born and brought up in Kenya, Chelimo initially went to the US in 2010 to run for Shorter College where he won the 3000 meters and was part of their winning

distance medley relay The distance medley relay (DMR) is an athletic event in which four athletes compete as part of a relay. With its inclusion in the IAAF World Relays program, the IAAF announced on May 1, 2015 that the event would be an official world record event ...

team as Shorter won the 2011 NAIA National Indoor Championship. Later that year, Shorter won the NAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship as Chelimo won the 5000 meters and 10000 meters at the championships. He transferred to the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina, University of North Carolina system. It is accredited by the S ...

, taking 2nd place in the 2012 NCAA Championships 5000 meters and repeated the place in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

. Chelimo found his path to US citizenship by joining the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

through the

Military Accessions Vital to National Interest Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) is a recruitment program by the United States Department of Defense, through which legal non-immigrants (not citizens or legal permanent residents of USA) with certain critical skills are ...

(MAVNI) program as a water treatment specialist, then entering their World Class Athletic Program in 2014.

2016 Olympics 5000m Silver

He represented the United States in the 3000 meters at the

2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 16th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held between March 17 and 20, 2016 in Portland, Oregon, United States. The event did not feature Russia. Following a WADA investigation into widespread and institutional doping practices ...

held in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. He qualified to the World Championships by taking second place at the

USA Indoor Track and Field Championships The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships is an annual indoor track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. In years which feature a World Indoor Championships i ...

on the same track a week earlier, setting a personal record of 7:39.00. Later in 2016, he finished third in the

at the Olympic Trials. Running aggressively, Chelimo was the first to cover an early breakaway, which was eventually swallowed by another breakaway by previous trials winner Galen Rupp. Again, Chelimo led the last lap charge to run down Rupp, and after catching him, Chelimo held the lead onto the final straightaway. Chelimo was eventually run down by the sprint finish of 41-year-old Kenyan American

Bernard Lagat Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat (born December 12, 1974) is a Kenyan-American former Middle-distance running, middle and long-distance running, long-distance runner. Lagat was born in Kapsabet, Kenya. Prior to his List of eligibility transfers in at ...

, followed closely by

Hassan Mead Hassan Mead (Somali language, Somali: ''Xassan Miicaad'', ; born June 28, 1989) is a Somali-American long-distance runner. He was a Cross country running, cross country and Track and field, track athlete for the University of Minnesota. An eigh ...

. But Chelimo was able to hold his position to the finish, beating Eric Jenkins to the line by 0.06 of a second and qualifying for the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. Chelimo ran a personal best 13:19.54 in the prelim of the

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...

at the

. During the final he stayed near the lead the entire race, withstanding every attack three Ethiopian teammates were trying to throw against eventual winner

Mo Farah Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born Hussein Abdi Kahin; 23 March 1983) is a Somali-British former long-distance runner. Considered one of the greatest runners of all time, his ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World tit ...

. When Farah launched his final kick to win the race, Chelimo was the last to follow Farah, looking, for a few moments at the head of the final stretch, like he would be the only one able to outsprint Farah to the line. Farah pulled away and Chelimo followed him across the finish line. On the scoreboard, he was initially announced as the silver medal winner. Then his name was removed from the results, along with Canadian Mohammed Ahmed and Ethiopian

Muktar Edris Muktar Edris (born 14 January 1994) is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country races. He is a two-time World champion over 5000 metres. Career Muktar made his first international appearances in 2 ...

. Chelimo had exchanged elbows with both of them during the final turn. Video showed Chelimo stepping inside of the track.

Hagos Gebrhiwet Hagos Gebrhiwet Berhe (, born 11 May 1994) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 5,000 m at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He won the gold medal in the 5 km at the 2023 World Road Running Championships. He ...

was elevated to second place, American

was elevated to third.

The United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

appealed and the medal was reinstated, with Edris, the initiator of the contact remaining disqualified. He set a new personal best of 13:03.90 in the race. Chelimo's medal was the first for the US in the event since

Bob Schul Robert Keyser Schul (September 28, 1937 – June 16, 2024) was an American long-distance runner. , he is the only American to have won an Olympic gold medal in the 5000 m, at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Early career Schul, born and rais ...

and

Bill Dellinger William Solon Dellinger (born March 23, 1934) is a retired American middle-distance runner, and track and field and cross country coach. He competed in the 5,000 m at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1964, setting his p ...

in the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

, held in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

2017 World Championships

Now an American star, he won the

National Championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

by seven seconds in record time. At the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

, it was a set of familiar faces on the last lap. This time though, Edris and his teammate Yomif Kejelcha got the jump on Farah and Chelimo going in to the final lap and Chelimo was running virtually even with Farah. In their pursuit of eventual winner Edris, both had to weave around Kejelcha then sprint for the line. In his last championship track race, Farah again beat Chelimo across the line, but this time it was much closer, barely a half meter separating the two, Chelimo getting bronze.

2018 USA Championships and London Diamond League

Chelimo participated in the 3000m of the 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships held in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

. He won the race with a time of 7:57.88, thereby qualifying for the 2018 World Championships. In the heats of the World Indoor Championships, he was one of many victims of a spate of disqualifications at that meet. After appeal, he did not get to run in the final. In June, Chelimo won his second outdoor U.S. title in the 5000m at the 2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and, later that summer, won the London Diamond League also at the 5000m distance.

2021 Tokyo Olympics 5000 m Bronze

Chelimo won his third U.S. outdoor title in the 5000m in a dramatic three-man sprint finish where he controversially drifted to lane four to prevent his competitors from overtaking him. In another notable finish, Chelimo narrowly out-leaned Nicholas Kimeli for the bronze medal in the

Tokyo 2020 The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

Olympic 5000m. Chelimo dedicated the performance to his brother, who suddenly died earlier in the year.

2023 World Championships

After his success in 2021 and relatively poor season in 2022, where he finished only 11th in the U.S. Championships 5000m, Chelimo once again qualified for the World Championships with his second-place finish in the U.S. Championships. He also competed in the 10,000m and placed fifth. At the

2023 World Athletics Championships The 2023 World Athletics Championships (), the nineteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships, were held from 19 to 27 August 2023 at the National Athletics Centre (Budapest), National Athletics Centre, in Budapest, Hungary. The tourna ...

in Budapest, Chelimo placed 15th in the 5000m.

2024 Olympic Cycle

Chelimo competed in his first marathon at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in hopes of qualifying for his third Olympics. He dropped out mid-way through the race. In June, Chelimo took his second attempt at qualifying for the Olympics, this time in the 10,000m. He placed tenth. In his third and final attempt at Olympic qualification, Chelimo placed twelfth in his heat of the 5,000m and failed to advance to the final.

Major competitions

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chelimo, Paul Living people 1990 births Athletes from Elgeyo-Marakwet County American male long-distance runners Kenyan male long-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics UNC Greensboro Spartans men's track and field athletes Shorter Hawks men's track and field athletes Kenyan emigrants to the United States United States Army soldiers Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Olympic male long-distance runners FISU World University Games silver medalists for Kenya IAAF Continental Cup winners USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners Medalists at the 2013 Summer Universiade Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Kalenjin people Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program 21st-century American sportsmen Diamond League winners 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen