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Agnes Tirop

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Agnes Tirop
Agnes Tirop wearing a red athletic Nike jacket with a Kenyan flag, a 2019 World Athletics Championships placard, as well as her bronze medal, standing on a podium next to another contestant (not seen in photo), holding a bouquet of yellow flowers, grinning at audience.
Tirop with her bronze medal at the2019 World Athletics Championshipsin Doha
Personal information
Birth nameAgnes Jebet Tirop
Born(1995-10-23)23 October 1995
Uasin Gishu County,Kenya[1]
Died13 October 2021(2021-10-13)(aged 25)
Iten,Kenya
Sport
CountryKenya
SportAthletics
Event(s)5000 metres,10,000 metres;Cross country
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals
  • 2020 Tokyo
  • 5000 m – 4th
World finals
  • 2017 London
  • 10,000 m –Bronze
  • 2019 Doha
  • 10,000 m –Bronze
Personalbests
Medal record
Women's athletics
RepresentingKenyaKenya
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2017 London 10,000 m
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Doha 10,000 m
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Barcelona 5000 m
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Eugene 5000 m
World Cross Country Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Bydgoszcz Junior team
Gold medal – first place 2015 Guiyang Senior race
Gold medal – first place 2017 Kampala Senior team
Silver medal – second place 2013 Bydgoszcz Junior race
Silver medal – second place 2015 Guiyang Senior team
African Cross Country Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Kampala Junior race
Silver medal – second place 2012 Cape Town Junior race

Agnes Jebet Tirop(23 October 1995 – 13 October 2021) was a Kenyan professionallong-distance runner.She won bronze medals in the10,000 metresat the2017and2019 World Athletics Championships.At the2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships,Tirop became the second-youngest ever gold medallist in the women's race, afterZola Budd.At the time of her death in 2021, she was the world-record holder in the10 kilometreswomen's-only event.[2]

At junior level, she was a bronze medallist at the2012and2014 World Junior Championships in Athleticsas well as the silver medallist at the2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.She won a silver and a gold at the2012and2014 African Cross Country Championships,respectively.

Tirop died at age 25 after being stabbed by her husband. She was buried in her hometown in the Kenyan highlands at a funeral attended by over 1,000 mourners.[3]

Career

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Tirop first came to prominence at the national level in 2012, when she was runner-up to world junior championFaith Kipyegonat theKenyan Cross Country Championships.[4]This led to her first national selection and international medal at the2012 African Cross Country Championships,where she was again the runner-up to Kipyegon and took the junior silver medal.[5]She was Kenya's most prominent entrant for the5,000 metresat the2012 World Junior Championships in Athleticsand finished with a bronze medal in a personal best of 15:36.74 minutes, behind Ethiopian competition.[6][7]

Tirop was again second to Kipyegon at the 2013 Kenyan Cross Country Championships, and teamwork between the pair led to a Kenyan 1–2 and team title at the2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships—Kipyegon defended her title while Tirop was a narrow second to claim her first medal at the competition.[8][9]She made progress on thetrackthat year, setting personal bests of 8:39.13 minutes for the3,000 metresand 14:50.36 minutes for the 5,000 metres, and also on the roads, with ahalf marathonbest of 71:57 minutes.[10]

In the 2014 season, Tirop finally emerged from Kipyegon's shadow. She won the Kenyan cross country junior title and then dominated the junior race at the2014 African Cross Country Championships,leading Kenya to victory by a 14-second margin (Kipyegon won both senior races).[11][12]Tirop was unable to achieve such a margin over runner-upAlemitu Heroyeat the2014 World Junior Championships in Athleticsand was again third in the 5,000 m, while the Ethiopians extended Kenya's historic lack of a gold medal in that event.[13]

Tirop entered the senior ranks in the 2015 season and immediately performed well, winning the Eldoret Discovery Cross Country in Kenya.[14]She was second to Kipyegon at the Kenyan senior national championship race and earned a senior national selection—a performance that filled her with confidence. She said at the time, "I did not even believe I could make the team. I will not fear running against seniors."[15]For the2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships,after Kipyegon withdrew, the reigning world championEmily Chebetwas seen as Kenya's leading athlete, and Tirop as a key team member.[16]Despite this being her senior international debut and as the fourth youngest athlete in the field,[17]Tirop took to the front and gradually moved away from the field to win the senior gold medal, some five seconds ahead of Ethiopia'sSenbere Teferi.This made the 19-year-old the second-youngest winner of that title in championships history, afterZola Budd's win in 1985, and also brought her Kenya's 300th medal at the competition.[18]With Ethiopia rounding out the top four and defending champion Chebet in sixth, Kenya came in second in the team race.[19]

In 2017, Tirop participated in theWorld Championshipsheld in London, winning the bronze medal in the10,000 metresevent,[20]with a time of 31:03.50, her personal best in the distance.[21]

In 2018, she won theWorld 10K Bangalorerace in a course record time of 31:19.[22]

Tirop won her second consecutive world bronze medal in the10,000 metresat the2019 World Athletics Championships,held inDoha,Qatar, running a new personal best of 30:25.20.[23]

At the delayed2020 Tokyo Olympicsin 2021, Tirop came fourth in the5,000-metreevent.[23]In September that year, she smashed the world record in a women-only10-kilometre race,set in 2002, by 28 seconds. She then ran a time of 30:01 at the Road to Records event hosted inHerzogenaurach,Germany.[23][24]In October, she came second at the Giants Geneva 10K race, behind Ethiopia'sKalkidan Gezahegne,in a time of 30:20.[25]

Death

[edit]

Tirop was found dead in her home inIten,Elgeyo-Marakwet County, on 13 October 2021; she had multiple stab wounds in the neck and abdomen.[26][27][28]Authorities believe a domestic altercation occurred and Tirop was stabbed, as they also found her car windows had been shattered.[29]A search began for Tirop's husband, Ibrahim Rotich, when he went missing after calling his family crying and asking for God's forgiveness for something he had done. He was then involved in a lengthy high-speed chase, trying to flee the country, and ultimately rammed his getaway vehicle into a truck nearMombasa.[29]He was subsequently arrested and questioned about Tirop's death.[30]Rotich wasremandedfor two years while awaiting trial for Tirop's murder but was granted release on bail in November 2023 to await trial.[31]

Tirop was buried in her hometown of Kapnyamisa,Nandi County.[32]

Personal bests

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These were Tirop's lifetime bests:[33]

Road

International competitions

[edit]
Agnes Tirop (R in red) with her second world 10,000 m bronze at the2019 World Athletics Championships,in Doha
RepresentingKenya
Year Competition Venue Position Event Result
2012 African Cross Country Championships Cape Town,South Africa 2nd Junior race 19:34[5]
World Junior Championships Barcelona,Spain 3rd 5000 m 15:36.74
2013 World Cross Country Championships Bydgoszcz,Poland 2nd Junior race 17:51
1st Junior team 14 pts
2014 African Cross Country Championships Kampala,Uganda 1st Junior race 18:51
1st Junior team 13 pts
World Junior Championships Eugene, OR,United States 3rd 5000 m 15:43.12
2015 World Cross Country Championships Guiyang,China 1st Senior race 26:01
2nd Senior team 19 pts
2017 World Championships London,United Kingdom 3rd 10,000 m 31:03.50PB
2019 World Championships Doha,Qatar 3rd 10,000 m 30:25.20PB
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo,Japan 4th 5000 m 14:39.62SB

References

[edit]
  1. ^Eurosport.com.Agnes Jebet Tirop.Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  2. ^"World record-holder Tirop dies".World Athletics.13 October 2021.Retrieved13 October2021.
  3. ^Okeowo, Alexis (10 April 2023)."Why Were Two Female Running Champions Killed in Kenya?".The New Yorker.Retrieved10 April2023.
  4. ^Mutuota, Mutwiri (18 February 2012).Karoki and Chepkirui steal the headlines in Nairobi.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  5. ^abWilliamson, Norrie (19 March 2012).Langat and Chepkirui take African XC titles in Cape Town.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  6. ^Martin, David (22 July 2012).Gemili posts championship record on superb night in Barcelona – day two evening report.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  7. ^Valiente, Emeterio (11 July 2012).Barcelona 2012 – Event Report – Women's 5000m Final.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  8. ^Mutuota, Mutwiri (16 February 2013).Rono and Muriuki win Kenyan World Cross Trials in Nairobi.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  9. ^Bamford, Nicola (24 March 2013).Kipyegon majestic in title defence – Bydgoszcz 2013 junior women's report.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  10. ^Agnes Jebet Tirop Progression.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  11. ^Mutuota, Mutwiri (15 February 2014).Karoki and Kipyegon win in Nairobi.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  12. ^Kenya makes a clean sweep at African Cross Country Championships.IAAF (16 March 2014). Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  13. ^Robinson, Javier Clavelo (24 July 2014).Report: women's 5000m – IAAF World Junior Championships, Oregon 2014.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  14. ^Mills, Steven (26 January 2015).Emerging Tirop dominates in Eldoret – cross-country round-up.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  15. ^Mutuota, Mutwiri (14 February 2015).Karoki and Kipyegon successfully defend Kenyan cross-country titles.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  16. ^Sammet, Michelle (24 March 2015).Senior women's preview – IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Guiyang 2015.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  17. ^Results Senior Race Women.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  18. ^Sammet, Michelle (28 March 2015).Teenage talent Tirop triumphs in Guiyang.IAAF. Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  19. ^Whittington, Jessica (28 March 2015).Agnes Tirop wins senior women's World Cross title in China.Athletics Weekly.Retrieved on 28 March 2015.
  20. ^"Husband a 'suspect' as Kenyan athlete Tirop found dead".BBC Sport.Retrieved14 October2021.
  21. ^"10,000 Metres Women − Final − Results"(PDF).International Association of Athletics Federations.Retrieved9 August2017.
  22. ^"Tirop breaks course record, Kamworo registers third win in TCS World 10k".The Times of India.27 May 2018.Retrieved13 October2021.
  23. ^abc"World Championship medallist Agnes Jebet Tirop found stabbed to death".Runner's World.13 October 2021.Retrieved13 October2021.
  24. ^"Kenyan Agnes Jebet Tirop sets new world record in women-only 10km race".Olympics.com.12 September 2021.Retrieved13 October2021.
  25. ^"Gezahegne breaks world 10km record in Geneva, Chelimo goes sub-30 in Valencia, Kumela breaks Kosice course record".World Athletics.3 October 2021.Retrieved13 October2021.
  26. ^"Agnes Tirop: world record holder found dead at home in Kenya".The Guardian.13 October 2021.Retrieved13 October2021.
  27. ^Haigh, Phil (13 October 2021)."World Championship 10,000m medallist Agnes Jebet Tirop found stabbed to death at home".Metro.co.uk.Retrieved13 October2021.
  28. ^"Athletics Kenya".Retrieved13 October2021.
  29. ^abPatta, Debora (15 October 2021)."Olympic runner Agnes Tirop's husband arrested in her killing".CBS News.Retrieved15 October2021.
  30. ^"Agnes Tirop: Husband arrested in Kenya after athlete's death".BBC News.14 October 2021.Retrieved14 October2021.
  31. ^"Kenyan slain Olympian Agnes Tirop's husband freed on bail".trtafrika.com.Retrieved9 September2024.
  32. ^"Slain Kenyan Olympian Agnes Tirop buried in her home village".Reuters.23 October 2021.Retrieved25 October2021.
  33. ^"Agnes Jebet TIROP – Athlete Profile".World Athletics.Retrieved15 October2021.
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