Rhonex Kipruto

Rhonex Kipruto (born 12 October 1999) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. Kipruto was the 2018 World Under-20 10,000 m champion.

Kipruto is currently serving a five-year ban set to expire in May 2028 for an anti-doping rule violation. Prior to his result being annulled, Kipruto placed third on the half marathon world all-time list.

Career Rhonex Kipruto was born in Kombatich Sub-Location. He studied at Kombatich Primary School before attending to Kimwogo Mixed Day School. It is at this point of his life where he started to showcase his athletics talent and was noticed by his primary school athletics coach Mr.Julius Kimaiyo.

He was brought up from an ample background where his parents were farmers. He grew up in Kombatich and his coach is Colm O'Connell.

2017 In September, 17-year-old Kipruto finished third in the 10 kilometres road race at the Prague Grand Prix with a time of 27:13. It was the first time in history that three men finished inside 27:20 in the same 10 km race.

2018 On 10 February, he placed second in the junior men's run at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships. The following month on 17 March, he participated in the African Cross Country Championships U20 race in Algeria. He won the 8 km run with a time of 25:01. Kipruto then won the UAE Healthy Kidney 10 km in New York City, U.S. on 29 April. While Leonard Komon's (former 10K world record holder) 2011 course record was 27:35 Kipruto finished in 27:08, the fastest 10K on a record-eligible course on US soil.

He went to the World U20 Championships held in Tampere, Finland in July. On 10 July, he won the 10,000 metres title with a time of 27:21.08, a new championship record. Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda (the 2017 U20 cross country world champion) placed second 22 seconds behind and Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia came in third with 27:48.41.

On 8 September, Kipruto ran in his third 10K race the second-fastest time in history (behind the Leonard Komon's world record of 26:44 from 2010) with his winning time of 26:46 in Prague.

2019 Kipruto won the IAAF Cross Country Permit in Elgoibar on 13 January in a time of 32:05. In February, he placed sixth in the men's senior 10 km race at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships in Eldoret, finishing 18 seconds behind Amos Kirui's winning time of 29:51. Kipruto then ran in the men's senior race at the World Cross Country Championships held in March in Aarhus, Denmark. He finished sixth in a time of 32:17 out of 144 starters. The run was won by Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) in 31:40 and Jacob Kiplimo placed second in 31:44. However, Kipruto won with Kenya the silver medal in the team ranking behind Uganda and ahead of Ethiopia.

On 4 July, Kipruto won the 10 km Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia, USA with a time of 27:01, breaking the previous course record and setting an all-comers' record (best performance on country's soil). The Association of Road Racing Statisticians describes this race as "Acceptable for ranking, no record quality...". The former course record was set in 1996 with a time of 27:04 by Joseph Kimani. Kipruto's brother Bravin Kiptoo placed second with a time of 27:29, and Kennedy Kimutai finished in third place with 27:54. At the Kenyan Championships on 21 August, Kipruto placed second in the 10,000 m in a time of 27:26.34. The race was won by Geoffrey Kamworor in a time of 27:24.76.

2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar On 6 October 2019, Kipruto raced the 10,000 m. The winner was Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) in 26:48.36, the runner up was Yomif Kejelcha (Ethiopia) in 26:49.34. Kipruto took the bronze medal with a time of 26:50.32.

2020–present On 12 January 2020, Kipruto set a 10 km road race world record in Valencia with a time of 26:24. The former world record had been set by Joshua Cheptegei in Valencia on 1 December 2019 with 26:38. Benard Kimeli (Kenya) came in second with 27:12 and Julien Wanders of Switzerland finished in third place in 27:13, a new European record. Kipruto covered the first half in 13:18 and the second one in 13:06. Wanders improved on his own European record by 12 seconds.

At the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in July 2021, he finished ninth in the 10,000 m final with a time of 27:52.78. In June 2024, Kipruto was banned for six years backdated to May 2023 for a "a deliberate and sophisticated doping regime". His race results from September 2018 to May 2023 were disqualified. His ban has later reduced to five years on appeal.

Achievements International competitions

Personal bests Information taken from World Athletics profile.