Hellen Obiri

Hellen Obiri
Hellen Onsando Obiri (born 13 December 1989) is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. She is the only woman to have won world titles in indoor track, outdoor track and cross country. Obiri is a two-time Olympic 5000 metres silver medallist from the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she also placed fourth over the 10,000 metres. She is a two-time world champion after winning the 5000 m in 2017 and again in 2019, when she set a new championship record. Obiri also took world bronze for the 1500 metres in 2013 and silver in the 10,000 m in 2022. She won the 3000 metres race at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, claimed silver in 2014, and placed fourth in 2018. She is the 2019 World Cross Country champion. Obiri triumphed in the 2023 Boston Marathon, her second marathon race. She places fifth in the half marathon on the world all-time list.
Obiri is the Kenyan national record holder for the mile, 3000 metres both indoors and out, and 5000 metres.
She was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2017.
Early life and background
Hailing from Kisii in south-western Kenya, Hellen Obiri was the fourth child in a family of six children. At age 14, she was recruited as a 200 and 400 metres sprinter to attend Riruta Central Secondary School in Nairobi. However, she lost interest in the sport and stopped running altogether in 2006 and 2007 to focus on her studies. She only re-engaged with athletics to join the military. In 2009, Obiri graduated from Kenya Defence Forces Recruit Training School in Eldoret. Her first major race was at the 2010 Kenya Armed Forces Cross Country Championships, where she finished 32nd. She placed fifth after some training the following year. She is a member of the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF).
She is married to Tom Nyaundi, a former runner, and they have a daughter, Tania 'Blessing' Macheche, born in May 2015 through caesarean section. Obiri resumed racing within seven months.
Career
Hellen Obiri gained her first international experience at the 2011 Military World Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she won the bronze medal for the 800 metres and placed fourth in the 1500 metres. She debuted in the World Championships in Athletics held in 2011 in Daegu, South Korea the following month, competing at the latter distance. Obiri set a personal best time of 4:07.59 in the heats but fell in the final, bringing pre-event favourite Morgan Uceny down with her, and finished 10th. She later said, "After Daegu I went back to Kenya and started training seriously."
In 2012, the 22-year-old took her first global title at the Istanbul World Indoor Championships, clocking 8:37.16 over the 3000 metres. This became the turning point of her career. That same year, she debuted in the Olympics at the London Games, finishing initially 12th and last in the 1500 m final, upgraded to eighth after subsequent doping disqualifications.
On 1 June 2013, Obiri won her first Diamond League race with 1500 m victory in USA's Eugene, setting a new personal best and meet record of 3:58.58. She earned bronze in the event at the World Championships in Athletics held in August in Moscow. Obiri then earned the silver medal in the 3000 m at the 2014 World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland, behind multiple world record-holder Genzebe Dibaba. On 9 May that year at the Doha Diamond League, she set an African record in the outdoor event with a time of 8:20.68, improving her personal best by more than 13 seconds. In August, she added 1500 m title at the African Championships.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Obiri competed in the 5000 metres and earned the silver medal in a time of 14:29.77, behind compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot in an Olympic record of 14:26.17 and ahead of Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana who ran 14:33.59.
Obiri represented Kenya at the 2017 World Championships in London in the same event and won the gold medal with a time of 14:34.86, ahead of Ayana and Sifan Hassan.
2018 saw her take two more gold medals in the 5000 m events, at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and at the African Championships.
In March 2019, Obiri won the senior women's race at the World Cross Country Championship held in Aarhus, Denmark, beating on a 10.2 km course second-placed Dera Dida by two seconds with a time of 36:14. After she posted best female times of the year in the 5000 metres in 2017 and 2018, Obiri successfully defended her title at the Doha World Championships in October, setting a championship record of 14:26.72 in the process. Her compatriot Margaret Kipkemboi (14:27.49) and Konstanze Klosterhalfen (14:28.43) finished second and third, respectively.
Obiri represented Kenya at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in both the women's 5000 m and 10,000 m events. She won the silver medal at the former in a time of 14:38.36, finishing behind only Hassan who ran 14:36.79; Gudaf Tsegay took bronze in 14:38.87. Obiri placed fourth in the 10,000 m final in a personal best behind, 1–3, Hassan, Kalkidan Gezahegne and Letesenbet Gidey.
At the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Obiri came second in the 10,000 m. She was beaten to gold by Gidey in a close finish (the top 3 were only separated by 0.13 s).
She capped her fine 2022 season (64:22 at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in February; wins at Istanbul Half Marathon, Great Manchester Run and Great North Run) in November debuting in the marathon at the New York City Marathon, where she placed sixth.
Obiri got her 2023 campaign off to strong start. In February, she won the RAK Half and then the New York City Half Marathon in March. On 17 April, the 33-year-old ran her second marathon, competing in the Boston Marathon against the deepest elite women’s field ever assembled. She won with a personal best time of 2:21:38, 12 seconds clear of second-place finisher Amane Beriso who had by far the fastest personal best heading into the race (2:14:58).
Achievements
International competitions
Circuit wins and titles
Diamond League champion (2) (5000 m): 2017, 2018
2013 (1): Eugene Prefontaine Classic (1500m, )
2014 (2): Doha Diamond League (3000m), Eugene (1500m, MR)
2016 (2): Eugene (5000m, PB), Monaco Herculis (3000m)
2017 (5): Shanghai Diamond League (5000m, WL PB), Rome Golden Gala (5000m, WL ), London Grand Prix (Mile, MR NR), Monaco (3000m, WL), Brussels Memorial Van Damme (5000m)
2018 (2): Rabat Meeting International (5000m), Weltklasse Zürich (5000m)
2019 (2): Doha (3000m, WL), London (5000m, WL MR)
2020 (2): Monaco (5000m, WL MR), Doha (3000m, WL)
2021 (1): Oslo Bislett Games (5000m)
National titles
Kenyan Athletics Championships
1500 metres: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
5000 metres: 2018
Kenyan Cross Country Championships
Senior women's race: 2019
Personal bests
References
External links
1989 births
Living people
Kenyan female middle-distance runners
Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Olympic athletes for Kenya
Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Olympic silver medalists for Kenya
Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
World Athletics record holders (relay)
World Athletics Championships athletes for Kenya
World Athletics Championships medalists
People from Kisii County
Sportspeople from Nyanza Province
Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Kenya
World Athletics Championships winners
African Championships in Athletics winners
Diamond League winners
World Athletics Indoor Championships winners
Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
20th-century Kenyan women
21st-century Kenyan women
21st-century Kenyan people
World Athletics Cross Country Championships winners
Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games