Edith Masai
Medal record | ||
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Women'sathletics | ||
Representing![]() | ||
World Championships | ||
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2003 Paris | 5000 m |
World Cross Country Championships | ||
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2002 Dublin | Short race |
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2003 Lausanne | Short race |
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2004 Brussels | Short race |
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2001 Ostend | Short race |
African Championships | ||
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2006 Bambous | 10,000 m |
All-Africa Games | ||
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2007 Algiers | 10,000 m |
Edith Chewanjel Masai(born 4 April 1967) is aKenyanformerlong-distance runnerwho specialised incross countryandtrackraces, thenroad racesin her late career. She represented Kenya at the2004 Summer Olympics.[1]Her best achievements are three individual gold medals in the short race at theIAAF World Cross Country Championshipsbetween 2002 and 2004.
She is also known for reaching global top at the age of 35. On the track she was the bronze medallist over5000 metresat the2003 World Championships in Athleticsand was the 2006African Championover10,000 metres.She has also won silver medals over 10,000 m at the2007 All-Africa Gamesand 5000 m at the2002 Commonwealth Games.
Her track best of 8:23.23 minutes for the3000 metres,set in 2002, remains theAfrican recordfor the event. Over themarathondistance, she ran her career best of 2:27:06 hours to win the 2005Hamburg Marathon.
Career
[edit]Early life
[edit]Masai was born inChepkoyavillage,Mount Elgon District.She is the third born from a family of four. She competed during her high school days while at Kibuk Secondary School. She graduated in 1988. She joinedKenya PrisonsService in 1990, known for recruiting many talented athletes. Masai did not, however, achieve anything until 1999, when she became the national cross-country champion, at the age of 32. Consequently, she started training more seriously.[2]She won theLotto Cross Cup Brusselsin 2001 and went on to take bronze in the short race at theWorld Cross Country Championshipsthat year. She improved upon this the following year, taking the gold at the2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
International career
[edit]Masai holds the 3000 metresAfrican recordset in July 2002 inMonaco[3]
She won a bronze medal at the2003 World Championships.In 2004, she failed at the Kenyan trials for the Olympics, but since she was one of only three Kenyans who had beaten the Olympic "A" -qualifying time in women's 5000 metres that year, she was offered a place on the team. Masai herself initially rejected the offer, but joined the team after lengthy negotiations. At the Olympics she dropped out after suffering a hamstring injury.[4]She made hermarathondebut at the age of 38, but gave a confident first performance, clocking 2:27:06 to win the 2005Hamburg Marathon.[5]
She finished fifth at the10,000 metres raceat the2005 World ChampionshipsinHelsinki,Finland.Her time, 30:30.26 was a newKenyan record.[6]The record was beaten byLinet Masaiat the 2008 Olympics, who run 30:26.50.[7]
Masai has since been shifting from track running to marathon. She wonHamburg Marathonin 2005 and participated it also in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, she wonBerlin Half Marathon,setting the fastest half marathon run that year, 1:07:16 minutes. It was also a personal best and a course record. She also set a new 5000 metres Kenyan record of 14:33.84 minutes.[8]
She won 10,000 metres silver medal at the2007 All-Africa Games.Her time, 31:31.18 is a new World record for women over 40 years old. The previous record was held byNicole LévêqueofFrance,who run 32:12.07 in Helsinki in 1994.[6]Masai participated the2008 World championships marathoninOsaka,Japan,finishing 8th in a race won by her compatriotCatherine Ndereba.
Masai won the 2008Virginia Beach Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon.[9]She wonSingapore Marathonin December 2008.[10]she broke up with her agentDorothee Paulmann.[4]in 2007 and worked independently.
She currently lives inNgong and Kitale.She coaches the Kenya Prisons Cross Country team. She is a divorced mother of one, her son Paul Griffin Sakit born in 1992 who ran for Louisiana Tech University. Masai retired from competitive running in early 2010 because of a knee injury.
Major competition record
[edit]Personal Best
[edit]Distance | Time | City | Date |
---|---|---|---|
3000 metres | 8:23.23 | Monaco | 19 July 2002 |
5000 metres | 14:33.84 | Oslo | 2 June 2006 |
10,000 metres | 30:30.26 | Helsinki | 6 August 2005 |
10 kilometres | 31:13 | La Courneuve | 31 March 2002 |
15 kilometres | 47:52 | Berlin | 2 April 2006 |
20 kilometres | 1:03:52 | Berlin | 2 April 2006 |
Half marathon | 1:07:16 | Berlin | 2 April 2006 |
30 kilometres | 1:42:15 | Hamburg | 23 April 2006 |
Marathon | 2:27:06 | Hamburg | 24 April 2005 |
5 kilometres | 14:50 | Neuss | 8 June 2002 |
10 miles road | 52:45 | Zaandam | 22 September 2002 |
References
[edit]- Okoth, Omulo (18 March 2007)."A Kenyan XC legend - Edith Masai".IAAF.Retrieved14 June2008.
- ^Edith MasaiArchived15 December 2012 at theWayback Machine.Sports Reference. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
- ^Daily Nation, 16 June 2007:Ageless Masai makes grade for Osaka[permanent dead link]
- ^IAAF:African record in Athletics
- ^ab"IAAF: News | iaaf.org".iaaf.org.Retrieved3 May2018.
- ^Masai wins debut and Rey is just short of course record – Hamburg Marathon.IAAF(24 April 2005). Retrieved 2010-04-26.
- ^abThefinalsprint.com, 22 July 2007:Splendid World Masters 10,000m Record for MasaiArchived2 September 2007 at theWayback Machine
- ^IAAF, 15 August 2008:Dibaba smashes Olympic 10,000m record as two dip under 30 minutes!
- ^IAAF, 28 December 2006:2006 - End of Year Reviews – Road Running and Race Walks
- ^IAAF website, 31 August 2008:Kwambai and Masai win Rock ‘n' Roll Half Marathon
- ^Xinhua News Agency, 7 December 2008:Kenyan runners rule Singapore MarathonArchived10 December 2008 at theWayback Machine
External links
[edit]- 1967 births
- Living people
- People from Mount Elgon District
- Kenyan female long-distance runners
- Kenyan female marathon runners
- Olympic athletes for Kenya
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- World Athletics Championships athletes for Kenya
- World Athletics Championships medalists
- World Athletics Cross Country Championships winners
- World record holders in masters athletics
- Kenyan masters athletes
- Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
- Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Kenya
- African Games silver medalists for Kenya
- African Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Kenyan female cross country runners
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 All-Africa Games
- Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games