Vincent Kiprop Chepkok (born 5 July 1988) is a Kenyan professional

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 specializes in 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 ...

. Chepkok was born in Kapkitony in the

Keiyo District Keiyo District (also known as ''Elgeyo district'' or Elgeiyo) is a defunct Districts of Kenya, administrative district in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. The district was formed in 1994, when the Elgeyo-Marakwet District was split into tw ...

of 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 ...

. He won the silver medal in the junior race at the 2007 World Cross Country Championships, finished ninth at the 2009 World Championships and seventh at the 2009 World Athletics Final. He gained a major 5000 m win on the 2010 IAAF Diamond League circuit, winning 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 ...

. He came second at the Cross Internacional Zornotza behind Joseph Ebuya at the start of 2011. He gained a place on the senior Kenyan World team after coming third at the Kenyan National Cross Country Championships. He repeated that position at the

2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 20, 2011. The races were held at the Polideportivo Antonio Gil Hernández in Punta Umbría, Spain. Reports of the event were given for the IAAF. Preparation The Uni ...

, securing the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

behind

Imane Merga Imane Merga Jida (ኢማነ መርጋ ጂዳ) (born 15 October 1988) is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 and 10,000 metres. He won his first world title at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championship ...

and Paul Tanui, as well as sharing in the team gold with the Kenyan men. On the

2011 IAAF Diamond League The 2011 IAAF Diamond League (also known as the 2011 Samsung Diamond League for sponsorship purposes) was the second edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 6 May in Doha, Q ...

circuit he was third at the

Golden Gala Golden Gala is an annual Track and field, track and field event normally held at the Stadio Olimpico, Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League. Following the 2013 deat ...

, won at

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 ...

, then came third at the

Memorial van Damme The Memorial Van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it now serves as a final event of the D ...

final to place second overall in the 5000 m rankings. At the start of the cross country season in November 2011, he came fourth at the Cross de Atapuerca but won the Cross de Soria a week later. He finished second to Edwin Soi at the Campaccio race, then finished behind Ebuya at the Cross Zornotza for a second year running. Chepkok was fifth at the

2012 African Cross Country Championships The 2nd African Cross Country Championships was an international cross country running competition for African athletes which was held on 18 March 2012 in Cape Town's Keurboom Park in South Africa. Organised by the Confederation of African Athle ...

in March, taking the team title with Kenya. He was runner-up behind Sammy Kitwara at the World's Best 10K that month. He was fourth in the 5000 m at the Kenyan trials, missing a spot at the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, but ran a

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 ...

best of 26:51.68 minutes at the

Memorial Van Damme The Memorial Van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it now serves as a final event of the D ...

meet. He won the Cross Internacional de Venta de Baños in December.

Personal bests

''Source:'' Outdoor *

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 ...

– 7:30.15 (Doha 2011) *

– 12:51.45 (Doha 2010) *

– 26:51.68 (Boudewijnstadion 2012) *

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 ...

– 1:00:53 (Porto 2014) *

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 ...

– 2:11:55 (Paris 2015)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chepkok, Vincent 1988 births Living people Athletes from Elgeyo-Marakwet County Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male cross country runners Diamond League winners 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen