Ronald Chebolei Kwemoi (; born 19 September 1995) 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

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

and

track running 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 ...

events. He 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 ...

and holds a personal best of 3:28.81 minutes set 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 ...

on July 18, 2014. The time is a world junior record. He was the 2014 Kenyan champion in the event. He was a team silver medallist at the

2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 24, 2013. The races were held at the Myślęcinek Park in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Kenya topped the medal standings in the competition with 5 gold, and Ethiopia had the most overall ...

Career

Hailing from

Mount Elgon District Mount Elgon District (Mt. Elgon District) was an districts of Kenya, administrative district in the Western Province (Kenya), Western Province of Kenya. Its capital town was Kapsokwony. In 2010, it was merged into Bungoma County. Geography and de ...

, Kwemoi ended his schooling in 2009 as his family could not afford the fees. He began training as a runner under coach Godwill Kipruto and around 2011 moved to

Iten Iten is a town in Elgeyo-Marakwet County in the Republic of Kenya and serves as the capital and is the largest town in the county. International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) awarded the town with a plaque recognising Iten as a Wo ...

, a well-known centre for running in Kenya. He made his first impact as a runner at national level at the age of seventeen. He took his first victory on the

Athletics Kenya Athletics Kenya (AK) is the governing body for the sport of athletics (track and field) in Kenya. It is a member of World Athletics and Confederation of African Athletics. AK organises athletics competitions held in Kenya. It also sends Kenyan tea ...

circuit in Kericho. In February 2013 he entered the Kenyan junior cross country championships and won the race by six seconds. His win—on his national debut—was an upset as he was unknown beforehand and beat the more favoured

Leonard Barsoton Leonard Kiplimo Barsoton (born 21 October 1994) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes mainly in cross country running and track and field, track events. He has represented his country twice at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships an ...

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 ...

, a world junior champion. This led to his international debut for Kenya and he placed ninth in the junior race at the

. Although he was beaten by his compatriots Barsoton and Kipruto at the event, his placing meant Kenya shared in the team silver medals behind Ethiopia. After his cross country performances, he travelled to Japan and trained in track events. That season, he won a

in with a best of 3:45.39 minutes and set a best of 13:41.99 minutes for 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 ...

.Ronald Kwemoi
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2014-07-05. He joined up with the

Komori is a Japanese press manufacturer that manufactures web offset presses, security printing presses, sheet-fed offset presses, package printing presses and printing related equipment. It is one of the last privately-owned press producers. Komo ...

corporate running team in 2014 and focused on the 1500 m. He won his opening race of that year at the Kanaguri Memorial, improving to 3:42.45 minutes, then improved again to win at the Hyogo Relays. Wins at the East Japan championship and North Rift Valley championship preceded his first Kenyan national title, which he won in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

in 3:34.6 minutes – knocking eight seconds off his previous best. He extended his unbeaten streak in the 1500 m at the

Athletissima Athletissima is an annual athletics meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Diamond League. The first edition was held on 8 July 1977 in the Stade Pierre de Coubertin. In ...

2014 Diamond League meeting – there he caused an upset by winning in 3:31.48 minutes to beat world championship medallists Silas Kiplagat, Matt Centrowitz and Abdalaati Iguider. His time was the fastest by a junior (under-20) athlete for nearly ten years and placed him fourth on the all-time junior lists. In what was called one of the greatest races in the history of the 1500 metres, Kwemoi was an up close spectator to a world record attempt by

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 ...

at the 2014 Herculis meet in Monaco. The record attempt failed but turned into a highly competitive race, with 9 athletes setting personal bests. While Silas Kiplagat ended up beating Kiprop in 3:27.64, coming from sixth place with 200 to go to finish a few steps behind in third, Kwemoi improved his personal best and improved upon the world junior record with a 3:28.81. The time also tied

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 ...

as the number 7 1500 metres of all time.
See the race
From the beginning of 2016 he went under the coaching of the Italian Renato Canova, looking for moving to the longer distance of 5000m. In October 2024, it was announced that he had signed up for the inaugural season of the Michael Johnson founded

Grand Slam Track Grand Slam Track is a professional track and field league, first announced in 2024 by American former Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson. The first season ran from April to June 2025. After being initially announced in February 2024, the n ...

Statistics

Circuit performances

Personal bests

– 3:28.81 min (2014) *

Mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a imperial unit, British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of Unit of length, le ...

– 3:49.04 min (2017) *

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 ...

– 7:28.73 min (2017) *

– 13:02.56 min (2024) *

10000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship-level events. The ...

– 27:33.94 min (2016) * 10k Road – 27:16 min (2022)

International competition record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kwemoi, Ronald Chebolei Living people 1995 births Kenyan male middle-distance runners Kenyan male long-distance runners People from Mount Elgon District Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Kenya Kenyan male cross country runners World Athletics Championships athletes for Kenya Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Kenya Diamond League winners Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen Commonwealth Games silver medallists in athletics