Sally Chepyego Kaptich (; born 3 October 1985) 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 mainly in track and

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. She established herself at the

World Youth Championships in Athletics The IAAF U18 Championships in Athletics (until 2015 known as IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics) was a global athletics event comprising track and field events for competitors who were 17 or younger (youth = Under-18). The event was orga ...

in 2001, winning 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 ...

title. She moved to Japan several years later to compete for the Kyudenko running team. She has won several corporate track running titles for the team. Chepyego has twice represented Kenya as a senior athlete: first at the 2006

International Chiba Ekiden The International Chiba Ekiden was an annual team road running competition held in Chiba, Japan in late November. The marathon relay race, or ekiden as it is known in Japan, is one of the prominent annual races of its kind. The competition is s ...

, where she broke an African record, and then at 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 ...

, where she placed seventh in the

10,000 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 ...

. Chepyego is currently part of the NN Running Team, an international team of elite long-distance runners managed by Global Sports Communication in

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Career

Born near Keiyo District in Kenya's

Rift Valley Province Rift Valley Province () of Kenya, bordering Uganda, was one of Kenya's eight provinces, before the 2013 Kenyan general election. Rift Valley Province was the largest and one of the most economically important provinces in Kenya. It was dominated ...

, Chepyego's first success came at the

2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics The 2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics was the second edition of the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics, World Youth Championships in Athletics. It was held in Debrecen, Hungary 12–15 July 2001. Results Boys Girls Medal ta ...

where, running barefoot, she held off Ethiopia's Mestewat Tufa to win the gold medal in the

. She competed only at local competitions for the next few years and was the 2004 Rift Valley High Schools champion. At age nineteen, she placed third at the North Rift Valley championships. In 2006, she emigrated to Japan to take up professional running. She gained her first international selection soon after for the

. Running in a team of

Philes Ongori Philes Moora Ongori (born 19 July 1986 in Chironge, Kiamokama, in Kisii District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in half marathon and marathon events. Her early career was based in Japan and she won a number of All-Japan Corpor ...

, Evelyne Kemunto Kimwei,

Catherine Ndereba Catherine Nyambura Ndereba (born 21 July 1972) is a retired Kenyan marathon runner. Between 2003 and 2008, she finished in the top two in five successive global championship marathons. Ndereba has twice won the marathon at the World Championshi ...

, Jane Wanjiku Gakunyi and Lucy Wangui Kabuu, she won the race and helped break the African record for the marathon

ekiden is a long-distance running multi-stage relay race, mostly held on Road running, roads.Otake, Tomoko. ''One for All.'' Dec. 28, 200The Japan Times accessed Feb. 19, 2009. The original Japanese term had nothing to do with a sport or a competiti ...

distance. The following year she competed on the Japanese track circuit and won the Miyazaki

5K run The 5K run is a long-distance road running competition over a distance of . Also referred to as the 5K road race, 5 km, or simply 5K, it is the shortest of the most common road running distances. It is usually distinguished from the 5000 me ...

. She did not compete in 2008 and changed location for the 2009 season, entering a series of road races in Europe. Her best performances were a win at the

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

half marathon, third at the Kö-Lauf in a personal best 33:41 minutes, and a fourth-place finish at the Hamburg Half Marathon in another best of 75:27 minutes.Sally Chepyego
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2014-02-23. Chepyego returned to running in Japan in 2010. After a runner-up finish at the

Baringo 15K The Baringo Half Marathon is an annual road running competition for men and women over the half marathon distance which takes place every December in Baringo County, Baringo, Kenya. The programme previously had a 15 kilometres race for women, but t ...

, she won the end-of-year Sanyo Women's 10K. She signed up with the Kyudenko corporate running team in 2011 and performed well on the track circuit, almost going undefeated that season with wins at the Oda Memorial, Hokuren Shibetsu Meet, Japan Corporate Track and Field Championships and the Hyogo Relays. Her sole defeat on the track came at the Nobeoka Golden Games, where she was runner-up to Ann Karindi. On the roads she set a new best of 72:03 minutes to place second to

Florence Kiplagat Florence Jebet Kiplagat (born 27 February 1987) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She is a two-time world champion, having won at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. ...

at the

Sapporo Half Marathon The was an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which took place each July in Sapporo, Japan. First held in 1958, the race began as a full marathon competition for men under the moniker of the Hokkai Times Marathon. T ...

. She improved to 69:58 minutes at the Sanyo Women's Half Marathon, although that time was only enough for third as race winner Yukiko Akaba set a new course record. Chepyego was Kyudenko's top performer at the All-Japan Women's Corporate Ekiden Championships. In 2011, Chepyego took a

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 ...

double at the Japan Corporate Championships, but failed in her aim to make the 10,000 m team for

Kenya at the 2012 Summer Olympics Kenya competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's and thirteenth appearance at the Olympics, they did not participate in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1980 Summer Olympics i ...

. She was runner-up at the Sanyo 10K that year. She focused on the track event in 2013 and was rewarded with her first major international selection. After winning the 10,000 m at the Hyogo Relays, she placed third at the Kenyan trials. This earned her a place at the

. In the final she ran a personal best of 31:22.11 minutes, which brought her seventh place overall. She won the Sanyo Half Marathon in December, setting a personal best and course record time of 68:24 minutes.Mulkeen, Jon (2013-12-24)
Chepyego smashes course record in Okayama
IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-02-23.

Competition record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chepyego Katpich, Sally Living people 1985 births Kenyan female long-distance runners Athletes from Elgeyo-Marakwet County