Noah Kiprono Ngeny (born November 2, 1978) is a Kenyan athlete, the surprise winner of the 1500 m at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Athletics has been contested at every Summer Olympics since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. ... At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 46 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 22 for women. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... A womens 400m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ...

History

Before Sydney

Ngeny first came to international prominence by setting two World Junior records in 1997 - 3:32.91 for 1500m in Monaco and 3:50.41 for the Mile in Nice, and under the guidance of renowned manager and coach, the late Kim McDonald, his progression continued in 1998, improving his 1500m time to 3:30.34 in Monaco.

In 1999 July 7, in Roma, Ngeny was second to El Guerrouj when the latter set the world record (3:43.13) for the mile run. Ngeny stayed close to Hicham El Guerrouj down the stretch to finish at 3:43.40, still the second fastest mile ever run, and almost a full second inside the old WR(3:44.39) of Noureddine Morceli. ^{[1] [2]} Hicham El Guerrouj (Arabic: هشام الكروج) (born September 14, 1974, Berkane, Morocco) is a retired Moroccan middle distance runner. ... Noureddine Morceli (born February 28, 1970) is a former Algerian athlete, winner of 1500 m run at the 1996 Summer Olympics. ...

In 1999 August 24, Ngeny took the 1500m silver medal (3:28.73) in the IAAF 1999 World Championships in Athletics in Seville, Spain, behind the reigning world champion El Guerrouj(3:27.65). ^[3] The 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29. ...

In 1999 September 5, Ngeny set the current world record 2:11.96 over 1,000 meters in Rieti, Italy, breaking the 18 years-standing record 2:12.18 held by Sebastian Coe(Coe's record was achieved in 1981). Ngeny's time of 2:11.96 still stands as the World record with no other runner coming within 2 seconds of the time since. ^[4] Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, KBE (born 29 September 1956 in Chiswick, London) is an English athlete and Conservative Party politician. ...

In 1999 Ngeny recorded six sub 3:30 clockings for 1500m and established himself as the closest rival to World champion and World record holder Hicham El Guerrouj.

In 2000 August 11, Ngeny finished second to El Guerrouj(3:27.21) in the 1500 m at the Weltklasse Zürich meet in a time of 3:28.12, making him the Kenyan record holder and third fastest ever in the event. This record was surpassed by Bernard Lagat's 3:26.34 in Bruxelles in 2001 August 24. Lagat achieved this record when he finished 2nd behind Hicham El Guerrouj (3:26.12). ^[5] Weltklasse Zürich is an annual athletics meeting at the Letzigrund in Zürich that takes place in August. ... Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat (born: December 12, 1974 in Kapsabet, Kenya) is a middle and long distance athlete. ...

Sydney triumph

In 2000 September 29, at the 1500m final of 2000 Sydney Olympics, Hicham El Guerrouj, world record holder and twice world champion, had only been defeated once since the previous Olympics, and was the overwhelming favourite. The two rivals lead the race going into the last lap of the final, El Guerrouj leading Ngeny. With less than 100 m to go, Ngeny started moving next to the leader, grabbing the lead with just 15 m to go. He held on until the finish line, causing one of the greatest upsets at the Sydney Olympics. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]} The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Hicham El Guerrouj (Arabic: هشام الكروج) (born September 14, 1974, Berkane, Morocco) is a retired Moroccan middle distance runner. ...

In the process, Ngeny set an Olympic record of 3:32.07, surpassing Sebastian Coe's Olympics record of 3:32.53, set in 1984. Hicham El Guerrouj settled for silver in 3:32.32 and Ngeny's compatriat Bernard Lagat, another Keynan runner at that time, now a US citizen, took bronze in 3:32.44. Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, KBE (born 29 September 1956 in Chiswick, London) is an English athlete and Conservative Party politician. ... Hicham El Guerrouj (Arabic: هشام الكروج) (born September 14, 1974, Berkane, Morocco) is a retired Moroccan middle distance runner. ... Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat (born: December 12, 1974 in Kapsabet, Kenya) is a middle and long distance athlete. ...

Noah Ngeny became the third Kenyan to win the 1500m crown following Kip Keino (1968 Mexico City Olympics) and Peter Rono (1988 Seoul Olympics). Kipchoge (Kip) Keino (born January 17, 1940) was a Kenyan runner. ... The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were held in Mexico City in 1968. ... Peter Kipchumba Rono (born July 31, 1967) is a former Kenyan athlete, winner of 1500 m at the 1988 Summer Olympics. ... The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were held in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ...

The year 2000 was the highlight of Ngeny's running career. He posted career bests of 1:44.49 for 800m (2000 July 28 in Oslo) and 3:28.12 (4th fastest all-time) (2000 August 11), en route to his Olympic triumph (2000 September 29).

After Sydney

Ngeny was dropped from the Kenyan team for the 2001 world championships in Edmonton after defying instructions from the national federation to return home from Britain where he trains. ^[10] The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between August 3 and August 12 and was the first time the event had visited North America. ...

While El Guerrouj went on to win the 2001 and 2003 World Championships, Ngeny could not follow up his 2000 success, partly due to a debilitating car accident.

Ngeny returned to Australia in 2001 to win the Goodwill Games Mile in Brisbane but a car crash in Kenya in November of that year put him out of action for much of the winter. The injury sustained in the car accident (injury to the back and pelvis) dogged the Kenyan soldier ever since. He competed sparsely in 2003 & 2004 recording a best time of 3:33.38 but failing in his attempt to qualify for the Kenyan Olympic team, and was not able to defend his title in Athens. Athens (Greek: Αθήνα - Athína) is the largest city and capital of Greece, located in the Attica periphery of central Greece. ...

Ngeny did not run at the Kenyan trials of the 2003 world championships because of the injuries. ^{[11] [12]} The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from August 23 to August 31, 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. ...

Ngeny announced his official retirement from international athletics on 22 November 2006.^[13] November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Ngeny was so pround of his performance at the 2000 Sydney Olympics that he named his daughter Marion Sydney Ngeny.

Personal bests

July 28 is the 209th day (210th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 156 days remaining. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... County Oslo NO-03 District Viken Municipality NO-0301 Administrative centre Oslo Mayor (2004) Per Ditlev-Simonsen (H) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 224 454 km² 426 km² 0. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Rieti is a town in the Latium, Italy. ... August 11 is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Location within Switzerland   Zürich[?] (German pronunciation IPA: ; usually spelled Zurich in English) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...   (IPA: ; UN/LOCODE: SE STO) is the capital of Sweden, and consequently the site of its Government and Parliament as well as the residence of the Swedish head of state, King Carl XVI Gustaf. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... NO8DO (I was not abandoned) Location Coordinates : ( ) Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Sevilla (Spanish) Spanish name Sevilla Founded 8th-9th century BC Postal code 41001-41080 Website http://www. ...

External links

• IAAF profile for Noah Ngeny
• The Standard (Kenya), May 14, 2006: Electric Ngeny plots comeback
• Pace Sports Management

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is the international governing body for the sport of athletics (known in the US as track and field). It was founded in 1912 at its first Congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation. ... The Standard is a leading newspaper in Kenya, and Kenyas oldest newspaper. ...

References

1. ^ World record progression for the mile run
2. ^ YouTube video: Hicham El Guerrouj sets a world record in the mile
3. ^ YouTube video 1500m final - 1999 World Championships
4. ^ YouTube video: Noah Ngeny runs 1000 meter world record
5. ^ World Outdoor Lists 1500 Metres All Time MEN
6. ^ YouTube video: Sydney Olympic 2000 - Men's 1500m
7. ^ Guardian El Guerrouj, a picture of despair
8. ^ sporting-heroes.net Noah Ngeny Olympic gold at 1500 metres of 2000 Sydney Olympics
9. ^ 2000 Sydney Olympics 2000 Sydney Olympics News - IAAF
10. ^ 2001 WC Ngeny axed from Kenya squad
11. ^ 2003 WC Ngeny prepared to lose place in Kenyan team again
12. ^ 2003 WC Olympic champion Ngeny out of Kenyan trials
13. ^ Noah Ngeny retires, iaaf.org