Kenyan World Record duo Tergat-Komen to enter Hall of Fame
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 01.09.22. | 09:45
Komen still holds the 3000 metres world record of 7:20.67, established in Rieti, Italy 1996
Kenyan former distance runners Paul Tergat and Daniel Komen will be inducted in the Hall of Fame of the Allianz Memorial Van Damme alongside Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Tergat took three 10,000 metre wins at the Memorial in seven appearances. In 1997 the Kenyan set a new world record at the King Baudouin Stadium, and he followed it up with two more 10,000 wins in Brussels in 1998 and 2000.
Soirée de gala du Mémorial Van Damme: les deux athlètes kenyans Daniel Komen et Paul Tergat rentrent au Hall of Fame pour avoir établi le record du monde du 5.000 et du 10.000 lors du mémorial 1997! pic.twitter.com/LJFxLGm9Hd
— Philippe Close (@PhilippeClose) August 31, 2022
Tergat is also a double Olympic silver medallist on the 10k, in 1996 and 2000, and also collected two world silver medals in 1997 and 1999.
The now 53-year-old Tergat was also an ace cross country and marathon runner. He took five cross country world titles, clinched two world titles on the half marathon and also ran a new world record on the marathon in 2003, running a 2:04.55 in Berlin.
Every generation has its Hall of Fame.Records will be broken @Tokyo2021Olympics .We salute Greatest Of All Times (G.O.A.T) Usain Bolt, Daniel Komen, Ezekiel Kemboi, Kenenisa Bekele, Paul Tergat, Catherine Ndereba, Haile Gebraselassie, Tegla Lorupe, David Rudisha,Ezekiel Kemboi.
— Nicasio Karani Migwi (@nikaminduku) June 27, 2021
Daniel Komen made 11 appearances at the Memorial and took four wins on the Heizel, with his 1997 world record in the 5000 as an absolute highlight on the same evening as Tergat's 10,000 world record. The now 46-year-old Komen also took the world title that year on the same distance.
The 1997 records have long since been erased and are currently held by Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei, but at the time of writing Komen still holds the 3000 metres world record. His 1996 time of 7:20.67, established in Rieti, Italy, still stands strong 26 years on.
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