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Paris 2024: Hellen Obiri chasing maiden Olympic gold at the third attempt
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Reading Time: 4min | Mon. 29.07.24. | 15:53
From the 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, 10000m, 10km road running, half marathon and finally the full marathon, Obiri has been there and done that
If there was an athlete who embodies the gradual transition from track to road running then one of the names that will roll out on any sheet would include Hellen Obiri.
From the 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, 10000m, 10km road running, half marathon and finally the full marathon, Obiri has been there and done that.
Having just participated in four World Marathon Majors, Obiri will be hoping to become the third Kenyan woman to clinch an Olympic Marathon gold medal.
Other names who have done it before are Jemimah Sumgong and the reigning champion Peres Jepchirchir who is also in the line up to defend her title.
Personal life-
Born in Kisii, Kenya into a family of six children, Obiri fell in love with the sport from a young age in her days at Riruta Central Secondary School in Nairobi.
Her love for the sport was however briefly given a back seat when she opted to focus on her studies after initially taking part in the 200m and 400m sprints.
She rekindled her love for athletics back in 2009 after joining the Kenya Defence Forces Recruit Training School in Eldoret.
The 34-year-old burst into the scene during the 2010 Kenya Armed Forces Cross Country Championships but failed to catch any eye following her 32nd place finish.
A mother to a nine year old daughter, Tania 'Blessing' Macheche, Obiri is fully drenched into an athletics home as she is married to Tom Nyaundi, a former runner.
Early career-
Following her 32nd place finish, Obiri failed to give up on the sport and went on enrol in rigorous training and finally made the headlines at the 2011 Military World Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she won the bronze medal in the 800 metres.
In the same year she made her debut in the 2011 World Championships but just like her debut in competitive running, a disastrous ending was witnessed when she fell and finished 10 in the 1500m.
A year later she bagged her first global title at the Istanbul World Indoor Championships, clocking 8:37.16 over the 3000 metres.
With 2012 being an Olympic year she placed eight in the 1500m final after initially finishing 12th but doping violations by some of the athletes in the race saw her surge up the rankings.
Following a number of titles between London and Rio 2016 that included her first Diamond League race with 1500m in 2013, Obiri clinched silver in the 5000m, finishing just behind compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot.
She upgraded her silver from the 2013 World Championships to gold in 2017 ahead of Ethiopian Almaz Ayana and Dutch woman Sifan Hassan.
2018 was a kind year to Obiri who only lost one 5000m race all season and clinched gold at both the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and at the African Championships.
The following year, she successfully defended her title at the Doha World Championships and claimed a 5000m silver in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics but finished fourth in the 10000m.
Her love affair with silver continued in the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in the 10000m, a year which she did a number of road races including winning the Great Manchester Run and the Great North Run.
2022 saw her debut in the World Marathon Majors where she finished sixth in the New York City Marathon which to date remains her only loss in the majors.
A year later she went on to clinch the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon which she went on to defend this year.
Olympic qualification-
Hellen Obiri was a no brainer for Athletics Kenya (AK) who included her in the line up for the Olympic Marathon following her impeccable form at the World Marathon Majors.
Preparation for Olympics-
Winning the Boston Marathon this year which is arguably the toughest marathon at the World Marathon Majors, was the perfect testing ground ahead of the Olympics.
Competition at Olympics-
Aside from her compatriots Sharon Lokedi and Peres Jepchirchir, Obiri will also face stern competition from current world record holder Tigist Asefa, the Ethiopian duo of Amane Beriso Shankule, and Alemu Megertu, not forgetting Sifan Hassan from the Netherlands.
Medal prospects-
Obiri is likely to clinch her maiden Olympic gold medal when she runs in the marathon after unsuccessful attempts at the 1500m, 5000m and 10000m.
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