Bernard Lagat

Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat (born December 12, 1974) is a Kenyan-American middle and long-distance runner.

Lagat was born in Kapsabet, Kenya.

Prior to his change of domicile to the US, Lagat had an extensive competitive career representing his native country.

He is the American record holder in the 1500 m and mile run indoors and is the Kenyan record holder at 1500 m outdoors.

Lagat is the second fastest 1500 m runner of all time, behind Hicham El Guerrouj.

He graduated from the Kaptel High School in 1994, where he had started his athletic career.

He joined Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Nairobi 1996.

Later in the same year he moved to Washington State University where other Kenyan athletic greats such as Henry Rono and Michael Kosgei prospered.

In 1998, while at WSU, Lagat won three NCAA individual championships; indoor mile and 3000 m, as well as the 5000 m outdoors.

Lagat is a five-time Olympian, having competed in the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 games, and is a thirteen-time medalist in World Championships and Olympics including five gold medals.

At the age of 41, he finished 5th in the finals of the 5000 m at the Rio Olympics.

Lagat's long-term coach is James Li of the University of Arizona, with whom he has worked for over a decade.

Lagat was born in Kaptel village, near Kapsabet town in Nandi District of Kenya.

He is a Nandi, a sub-tribe of the Kalenjin people.

In 2000, Lagat graduated from Washington State University with a degree in management information systems.

Lagat's siblings have also competed in athletics; his older sister Mary Chepkemboi won the 3000 m at the 1984 African Championships in Athletics, his younger sister Viola Cheptoo placed second in the 2021 New York City Marathon

Lagat first represented his native Kenya at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

In the 1500 m final, Morocco used team tactics to try to ensure a gold medal for heavy favorite Hicham El Guerrouj.

In a very close finish, Noah Ngeny took gold, El Guerrouj won silver, and Lagat captured bronze.

Lagat finished the year being ranked #3 in the world at 1500 m.

The next summer, Lagat won the silver medal, behind El Guerrouj, at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics, and later that summer, at a meet in Brussels, Lagat set the Kenyan National Record and became the second fastest individual ever at 1500 m when he ran 3:26.34, finishing second in this race behind Hicham El Guerrouj (3:26.13), in an attempt to break El Guerrouj's world record of 3:26.00.

Lagat finished the year ranked #2 in the world at 1500 m.

Lagat spent most of 2002 and 2003 chasing El Guerrouj.

At the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships, he earned the silver medal at 1500 m, this time behind Driss Maazouzi of France.

Lagat withdrew from the 2003 world outdoor championships after a blood test showed traces of EPO in his system.

His B sample test came back negative, clearing him of any charges.

He was ranked 2nd and 4th in the world at 1500 m in 2002 and 2003 respectively.

In the 3000 m at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships Lagat won his first international gold medal.

Lagat was clearly overjoyed at his comeback since 2003.

Throughout the spring he competed fiercely and beat his rival El Guerrouj in Zürich with a world leading time at 1500 m of 3:27.40.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics Lagat seemed poised to once again defeat El Guerrouj.

The final saw Lagat and El Guerrouj battling down the final 100 m, swapping the lead multiple times.

El Guerrouj prevailed, with Lagat close behind, earning the silver medal, running the final lap in under 52 seconds.

He was, however, ranked #1 in the world at 1500 m for the year.

In March 2005, Lagat announced that he had become a naturalized citizen of the United States on May 7, 2004.

Lagat did compete for his homeland Kenya in the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning silver in the 1500 m. Even though Kenya did not allow dual citizenship at the time, he was allowed to keep his medal.

Lagat became a competitor for the United States but was temporarily banned from international championship events, missing the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki.

The U.S. does allow dual citizenship and consequently races run by Lagat after May 7, 2004, could have been ratified as American records, since USATF rules only state that an athlete has to be a U.S. citizen competing in a sanctioned competition to be eligible to set a national record.

However, at the 2005 USATF annual meeting, his 3:27.40 win in the 1500 meters, on August 6, 2004, in Zürich, was not ratified as an American record.

Nevertheless, Lagat owns three American records from races he had run in 2005 that were ratified by USATF.