PAUL TERGAT
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 17, 1969 |
| GENDER | Male |
| OCCUPATION | Athlete |
Biography
Paul Tergat is a Kenyan former professional long-distance runner. He became the first Kenyan man to set the world record in the marathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.
Paul Tergat Education
The athlete attended Kapkawa Boys High School in Barnigo County, where he completed his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in (1989).
Career
Paul Tergat, a retired Kenyan long-distance runner, served in the Kenya Air Force from 1991 to 2013, as a Captain.
Beyond his athletic career, he has been actively involved in various educational institutions, including serving as a Council Member of Laikipia University College from 2010 to 2012.
Tergat is also a key figure in promoting sports in Kenya. He founded the Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYA) and the Baringo Half Marathon, both aimed at recognizing and developing talent in athletics.
Internationally, he served as a member of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Athletes’ Commission in 2005 and represented Kenyan athletes on the National Olympic Committee from 2012 to 2013. Additionally, Tergat established the Paul Tergat Foundation to support youth and sports development in Kenya.
Sports career
In the realm of athletics, Tergat has excelled in several disciplines, including track events such as the 3,000 meters, 5,000 meters, and 10,000 meters.
His achievements also extend to cross country and road racing, with notable distances including 10 kilometers, 21 kilometers (half marathon), and 42 kilometers (full marathon).
At the Olympic Games, Tergat earned silver medals in the men’s 10,000 meters at both the 1996 Atlanta Games and the 2000 Sydney Games.
He has set impressive world records in his career: a marathon time of 2:03:55 achieved in Berlin in 2003, a half marathon time of 59:17 in Milan in 1998
Additionally, Tergat has been crowned World Cross Country Champion five times, from 1995 to 1999.
Beyond his accomplishments in running, Tergat has also participated in athletics, basketball, and volleyball.
Awards and distinctions
From 2005 to 2014, Tergat served as a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Ambassador against Hunger, playing a significant role in raising awareness about global food security.
In addition, from 2010 to 2015, he was a UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Champion, advocating for the achievement of the UN’s development goals.
Tergat’s accomplishments have earned him several prestigious honors. In 2013, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Bupa Great North Run, held in Newcastle, United Kingdom.
That same year, he received the XVII Premio International Fair Play Award in Rome, Italy, recognizing his exemplary conduct in sports.
In academia, Tergat has been awarded two honorary doctorate degrees.
In 2011, Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya, conferred upon him an Honorary Doctorate Degree, and in 2010, the University of the Western Cape in South Africa awarded him an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor Philosophie Honoris Causa) through its Faculty of Community and Health Sciences.
IOC History
Tergat has been a member of several important commissions throughout his career, contributing to various areas within the Olympic movement and beyond.
From 2014 to 2015, he served on the Entourage, Press, and International Relations Commissions, playing key roles in these areas.
His involvement extended to the Sustainability and Heritage Commission from 2015 to 2017, and he has been actively engaged in the Olympic Education Commission since 2015.
From 2015 to 2020, Tergat was also a member of the Athletes’ Entourage Commission, working on issues affecting athletes’ support systems.
He joined the Audit Committee in 2017 and contributed to the Digital and Technology Commission from 2017 to 2019.
Since 2018, Tergat has been part of the Coordination Commission for the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, and in 2019, he was appointed to the Future Host Commission for the Games of the Olympiad.
In 2021, Tergat became a Board Member of the Olympic Refugee Foundation, and he continues to serve on the Athletes’ Commission, where he began his term in 2021.
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