Bright Chepngeno
Hellen Chepngeno (also: Helen Chepngeno ; born August 2, 1967 in Kitopen , Bomet District , Rift Valley Province ) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner .
Life
She started running in Kitopen elementary school. After finishing school, she was employed by the Kenyan prison service, which has its own athletics team.
In 1991 she was second behind Tegla Loroupe at the national cross-country championships and thus qualified for the cross-country world championships . She finished in 46th place and was no longer part of the Kenyan team that won the gold medal. The following year she won the state championships. At the Cross Country World Championships, she improved to 15th place and won the team gold together with Susan Sirma (9th), Hellen Kimaiyo Kipkoskei (11th) and Jane Ngotho (12th).
In 1993 she was not appointed to the squad for the World Cross Country Championships. At the African Athletics Championships in Durban , she won bronze in the 3000-meter run .
In the following year, she intensified her efforts so as not to be missing again at the World Cross Country Championships. She secretly completed additional units during the morning hours of the national team's training camp with a few other athletes such as William Sigei . The effort paid off, because at the Cross Country World Championships in Budapest she won with seven seconds ahead of the favorite Catherina McKiernan and thus became the first African world champion in this discipline.
An injury to the ankle put her out of action shortly thereafter. She was denied medical treatment abroad. It was only when the manager Kim McDonald found a Canadian doctor who treated her in Nairobi that her condition improved. Eventually she was restored to the point where she could contest road races in Germany with some success . Among other things, she won the night of Borgholzhausen in 2000 .
With her prize money, Hellen Chepngeno bought a house with two hectares of land and 15 cows. She is a single mother of two sons.
Personal bests
- 1500 m : 4: 07.35 min, August 7, 1993, Monaco
- 3000 m: 8: 44.04 min, August 4th 1993, Zurich
- 5000 m : 15: 21.98 min, August 27, 1993, Berlin
Web links
- IAAF athlete portrait
- A Kenyan XC legend - Helen Chepngeno , portrait by Omulo Okoth on the IAAF website, March 20, 2007
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Chepngeno, Hellen |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Chepngeno, Helen |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Kenyan long distance runner |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 2nd August 1967 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kitopen , Bomet District , Rift Valley Province |