Isaac Kimeli

Isaac Kimeli (born 9 March 1994 in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya) is a Kenyan born Belgian middle- and long-distance runner.

Kimeli is a 5000m silver medal winner at the World Athletics Championships.

Kimeli won two Diamond League meetings, securing victory in the 5000 m at the 2019 Memorial Van Damme in Brussels (promotional event) with a then personal best of 13:13.02

Training and personal life When Kimeli was four years old, his mother migrated from their home county of Uasin Gishu in Kenya to Belgium to work as a nurse. Kimeli was left in the care of his grandparents for ten years. At age 15 he was finally reunited with his mother in Belgium. It was there that his PE teachers encouraged him to join a track club.

Career In 2011, Kimeli competed in his first international competition at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Trabzon, Turkey. This was soon followed by a gold medal at the Under-23 2016 European Cross Country Championships in Chia, Italy, and 2 silver medals (one individual, one team) and a bronze at the senior level 2018, 2019 and 2022 European Cross Country Championships resp. He picked up another silver medal with the Belgium men's team at the 2024 European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey.

On the track, Kimeli earned a silver in the 5000 metres at the 2015 European Athletics U23 Championships and in the 3000 metres at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships.

Kimeli represented Belgium at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan resp. Paris, France, his best result an 8th place in the final of the men's 5000 metres in Paris.

In September 2025 at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Kimeli became the first Belgian athlete since Gaston Reiff won the gold medal in the men's 5000 metres at the 1948 Summer Olympics to win a medal in a 5000m or 10000m event at a senior world athletics championship or Olympic Games.

Achievements Competition record

National titles Belgian Athletics Championships 1500 metres: 2014 Belgian Indoor Athletics Championships 3000 metres: 2022 Belgian Cross Country Championships 2015, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2023, 2024

Personal bests 1500 metres – 3:36.51 (Marseille 2018) 3000 metres – 7:47.48 (Rome 2020) 3000 metres indoor – 7:44.17 (Ghent 2021) 5000 metres – 12:56.53 (Stockholm 2024) 10,000 metres – 27:07.97 (San Juan Capistrano 2024) Road 10 kilometres – 27:10 (Valencia 2025)