Isaac Kimeli

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Isaac Kimeli
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Kimeli in 2013
Personal information
NationalityKenyan-Belgian
Born (1994-03-09) 9 March 1994 (age 32)
Uasin Gishu County, Kenya[1]
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight59 kg (130 lb)[1]
Spouse
Jelien Wouters
Sport
CountryBelgium
SportAthletics
Event(s)
Middle-, Long-distance running
Coached byTim Moriau (–2024)[2]
Ivo Roelandt (2024-)[3]
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium
World Athletics Championships
Silver medal – second place 2025 Tokyo 5000 m
European Running Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2025 Brussels 10000 m
European Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place 2021 Toruń 3000 m
European U23 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2015 Tallinn 5000 m
European Cross Country Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Chia U23 men
Silver medal – second place 2013 Belgrade Junior men
Silver medal – second place 2018 Tilburg Senior men
Silver medal – second place 2019 Lisbon Senior team
Silver medal – second place 2024 Antalya Senior team
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Turin Senior men

Isaac Kimeli (born 9 March 1994[4] in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya) is a Kenyan born Belgian middle- and long-distance runner.

Kimeli is a 5000m silver medal winner at the World Athletics Championships.[5]

Kimeli won two Diamond League meetings, securing victory in the 5000 m at the 2019 Memorial Van Damme in Brussels (promotional event) with a then personal best of 13:13.02 [4] and six years later at the very rainy 2025 Athletissima meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland also in the 5000m.[6]

Training and personal life

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When Kimeli was four years old, his mother migrated from their home county of Uasin Gishu in Kenya to Belgium to work as a nurse. Kimeli was left in the care of his grand-parents for ten years. At age 15 he was finally reunited with his mother in Belgium. It was there that his PE teachers encouraged him to join a track club.[7]

Career

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In 2011, Kimeli competed in his first international competition at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Trabzon, Turkey.[7]

Two years later, Kimeli won his first international medal by winning a silver at the junior 2013 European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.[8] This was soon followed by a gold medal at the Under-23 2016 European Cross Country Championships in Chia, Italy,[9] and 2 silver medals (one individual, one team) and a bronze at the senior level 2018,[10] 2019[11] and 2022 European Cross Country Championships[12] resp. He picked up another silver medal with the Belgium men's team at the 2024 European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey.[13]

On the track, Kimeli earned a silver in the 5000 metres at the 2015 European Athletics U23 Championships and in the 3000 metres at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships.[14]

Kimeli represented Belgium at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan resp. Paris, France, his best result a 8th place in the final of the men's 5000 metres in Paris.[15]

In September 2025 at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Kimeli became the first Belgian athlete since Gaston Reiff won the gold medal in the men's 5000 metres at the 1948 Summer Olympics to win a medal in a 5000m or 10000m event at a senior world athletics championship or Olympic Games.[5]

Achievements

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Competition record

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Representing File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium
Year Competition Venue Position Event Result
2011 European Youth Olympic Festival Trabzon, Turkey 9th 1500 m 3:58.80
2012 European Cross Country Championships Szentendre, Hungary 6th XC 6.025 km U20 19:00
2013 World Cross Country Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 30th XC 8 km U20 23:15
European Cross Country Championships Belgrade, Serbia 2nd XC 6.025 km U20 17:51
2014 European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 19th (h) 1500 m 3:41.96
European Cross Country Championships Samokov, Bulgaria 20th XC 7.782 km U23 26:20
2015 European U23 Championships Tallinn, Estonia 2nd 5000 m 13:54.33
European Cross Country Championships Hyères, France 38th XC 8.087 km U23 24:27
2016 European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 9th 1500 m 3:47.92
European Cross Country Championships Chia, Italy 1st XC 7.97 km U23 22:48
2017 World Cross Country Championships Kampala, Uganda – XC 9.858 km DNF
2018 European Championships Berlin, Germany 15th (h) 1500 m 3:42.77
– (f) 5000 m DQ
European Cross Country Championships Tilburg, Netherlands 2nd XC 10.3 km 28:52
2019 European Team Championships First League Sandnes, Norway 1st 3000 m 8:09.09
World Championships Doha, Qatar 18th (sf) 1500 m 3:37.50
14th 5000 m 13:44.29
European Cross Country Championships Lisbon, Portugal 7th XC 10.3 km 30:46
2nd Team 38 pts
2021 European Indoor Championships Toruń, Poland 2nd 3000 m 7:49.41
Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 32nd (h) 5000 m 13:57.36
18th 10,000 m 28:31.91
2022 World Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia – (f) 3000 m DNS
World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 10th 10,000 m 27:43.50 SB
European Championships Munich, Germany 11th 5000 m 13:33.39
– (f) 10,000 m DNF
European Cross Country Championships Turin, Italy 3rd XC 9.572 km 29:45
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 13th 10,000 m 28:20.77
2024 European Championships Rome, Italy 14th 10,000 m 28:17.84
Olympic Games Paris, France 11th (h) 5,000 m 13:19.25
8th (f) 13:18.10
19th (f) 10,000 m 27:51.52
2025 European Running Championships Brussels-Leuven, Belgium 3rd 10,000 m 27:58
World Championships Tokyo, Japan 2nd 5000 m 12:58.78

National titles

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Personal bests

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Road

References

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