Caroline Nyaga

Last updated

Caroline Nyaga
Personal information
Nationality Flag of Kenya.svg   Kenya
Born10 July 1993 (30 years, 207 days old) [1]
Height160 cm (5 ft 3 in) [1]
Weight45 kg (99 lb) [1]
Sport
Sport Athletics
Event(s) 5K run
10K run
Achievements and titles
National finals
Personal best(s) 5K :
14:35 (2023)

10K :
30:48 (2023)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing Flag of Kenya.svg Kenya
African Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2022 Saint Pierre 5000 m
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 Saint Pierre 10,000 m
Updated on 15 January 2024.

Caroline Nyaga (born 10 July 1993) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She arrived at the 2022 African Championships without even a pair of suitable running shoes, but after being gifted a pair from Faith Kipyegon, she won a bronze medal in the 5000 metres and then two days later won gold in the 10,000 metres.

Contents

Career

Though Nyaga ran two road races in England and Wales in 2017, she did not debut at an international championship until 2019, earning her first berth to the African Games by finishing 3rd at the Kenyan Athletics Championships 10,000 m in 32:30.63. [2] At the Games race, Nyaga finished 5th in 32:24.17 as the second Kenyan finisher. [3] [1]

After failing to make the Kenyan 2019 World Championships and 2021 Olympics teams, Nyaga secured her next national podium finish at the 2022 Kenyan Championships 5000 m, running 15:32.11 to finish 2nd behind Beatrice Chebet. [4] At first, this was not enough earn her a spot on the Kenyan African Championships team, but another Kenyan athlete's late withdrawal freed up a spot for Nyaga in both the 5000 m and 10,000 m. [5] Nyaga arrived at the championships with only run-down trainers, and she and her coach had to seek advice from Faith Kipyegon, who gave Nyaga new running shoes before the race despite not having met Nyaga before. She had a very successful championships, winning a bronze medal in the 5000 m followed by a gold medal two days later in the 10,000 m. [6] She claimed that an encouraging note from Kipyegon, passed through Nyaga's coach, motivated her to win the 10,000 m title. [5] [7]

In 2023, Nyaga finished 7th at the Kenyan World Championships 5000 m trials, failing to make the Kenyan Worlds team. After seven laps, Faith Kipyegon began to pull away with two other athletes, and Nyaga struggled to stay with the trio and was passed by three other athletes by the finish. [8] Nyaga later said that her issue was holding her kick for the last lap, and that she would work on her issues and bounce back for the 2024 Summer Olympics. [9]

Statistics

Best performances

EventMarkPl.CompetitionVenueDateRef
5K run 14:35Gold medal icon.svg Semi Marathon de Lille Lille, France 19 March 2023 [1]
10K run 30:48Gold medal icon.svg 10k Ibiza - Platja D'en Bossa Ibiza, Spain 29 January 2023 [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Werknesh Kidane</span> Ethiopian long-distance runner

Werknesh Kidane, is an Ethiopian long distance runner from Tigray who competes in both 5000 and 10,000 metres. She has won numerous medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and represented Ethiopia at the Summer Olympics in 2000, 2004 and 2012. She was the silver medallist at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics and a gold medallist at the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tirunesh Dibaba</span> Ethiopian long-distance runner

Tirunesh Dibaba is an Ethiopian athlete who competes in long-distance track events and international road races. She has won three Olympic track gold medals, five World Championship track gold medals, four individual World Cross Country (WCC) adult titles, and one individual WCC junior title. Tirunesh was the 5,000 metres world record holder until 2020 when her compatriot Letesenbet Gidey set a new world record. She is nicknamed the "baby-faced destroyer."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Chebet</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Emily Chebet Muge is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in the 10,000 metres and cross country running. She is a two-time winner of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, being the gold medallist in 2010 and 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linet Masai</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Linet Chepkwemoi Masai is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running events. She won her first world title in the 10,000 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genzebe Dibaba</span> Ethiopian middle and long-distance runner

Genzebe Dibaba Keneni is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. A 1,500 metres 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist, she won a gold medal in this event and a bronze in the 5,000 metres at the 2015 World Championships. Genzebe is the current world record holder for the indoor events of the one mile, 3,000m and 5,000m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doris Changeywo</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Doris Chepkwemoi Changeywo is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in the 10,000 metres and cross country running.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercy Cherono</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Mercy Cherono Koech is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She was the silver medalist in the 5000 metres at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hellen Obiri</span> Kenyan middle-distance runner

Hellen Onsando Obiri is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. She is the only woman to have won world titles in indoor track, outdoor track and cross country. Obiri is a two-time Olympic 5,000 metres silver medallist from the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she also placed fourth over the 10,000 metres. She is a two-time world champion after winning the 5,000 m in 2017 and again in 2019, when she set a new championship record. Obiri also took world bronze for the 1,500 metres in 2013 and silver in the 10,000 m in 2022. She won the 3,000 metres race at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, claimed silver in 2014, and placed fourth in 2018. She is the 2019 World Cross Country champion. Obiri triumphed in the 2023 Boston Marathon, her second marathon race. She places fifth in the half marathon on the world all-time list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith Kipyegon</span> Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner

Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. Kipyegon is the current world record holder for the 1,500 metres and mile, both set in 2023, and the former world record holder for the 5,000 metres. Kipyegon won a gold medal each at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 1,500 m. She also won a gold medal in the 1,500 m at the 2017, 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships and in the 5,000 m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sifan Hassan</span> Dutch middle- and long-distance runner (born 1993)

Sifan Hassan is an Ethiopian-born Dutch middle- and long-distance runner. She is most recognized for her versatility in running championship and world leading performances in widely disparate distances. She completed an unprecedented triple at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, winning gold medals in both the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres and a bronze medal for the 1,500 metres. Hassan is the only athlete in Olympic history to win medals across a middle-distance event and both long-distance races in a single Games. She is only the second woman to complete an Olympic distance double.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gudaf Tsegay</span> Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner

Gudaf Tsegay Desta is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. She is the current world record holder for 5,000 m (14:00.21), set at the 2023 final Diamond League event, the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. Eugene is also where she won the World Athletics Championships on 5,000 m in 2022. At the World Athletics Championships, Tsegay also won the gold medal for 10,000 metres in 2023; a bronze for the 1,500 metres in 2019, and silver in 2022. She is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist in the women's 5,000 metres. She is a two-time World Indoor Championship 1,500 m medallist, claiming bronze in 2016 and gold in 2022. She is also the world indoor record holder for the 1,500 m, setting previously in this event world under-18 (current) and U20 (former) records.

Janet Kisa is a Kenyan professional middle- and long-distance runner who competes in track, cross country, and road running events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agnes Tirop</span> Kenyan long-distance runner (1995–2021)

Agnes Jebet Tirop was a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She won bronze medals in the 10,000 metres at the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships. At the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Tirop became the second-youngest ever gold medallist in the women's race, after Zola Budd. At the time of her death in 2021, she was the world-record holder in the 10 kilometres women's-only event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irene Chepet Cheptai</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Irene Chepet Cheptai is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running. She was the gold medallist at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships and led Kenya to the team title. Cheptai won the silver medal for the 10,000 metres at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui is a Kenyan-Kazakhstani professional long-distance runner who competes in distances from 3000 metres to the half marathon. She has worked at the Altay Athletics club in Kazakhstan since 2017 Coach by Ken Rotich Kenya and USA Richards Anderson she train with a group of number of athletes and others. At junior level she was twice African champion and shared in the team gold medal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's 1500 metres</span> Olympic athletics event

The women's 1500 metres event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place from 2 to 6 August 2021 at the Japan National Stadium. 45 athletes from 25 nations competed. Kenya's Faith Kipyegon successfully defended her Olympic title, to become one of only two women, along with Tatyana Kazankina, to win two Olympic 1500 metres titles. Her winning time of 3:53.11, broke Paula Ivan's 33-year-old Olympic record. The silver medal went to Great Britain's Laura Muir and the bronze went to Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatrice Chebet</span> Kenyan track and field athlete

Beatrice Chebet is a Kenyan long-distance runner. In 2022, she won the silver medal in the 5000 metres at the World Championships, and became Commonwealth, African and Diamond League champion. Chebet claimed the gold medal for the women's senior race at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships.

The women's 5000 metres at the 2022 World Athletics Championships was held at the Hayward Field in Eugene from 20 to 23 July 2022.

Agnes Jebet Ngetich is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She won two medals at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships with bronze in the senior women's race and team gold. In January 2024, she improved the world record for a 10 km run by 28 seconds with a time of 28:46.

The women's 5000 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships was held at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on 23 and 26 August 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Caroline Nyaga at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  2. Okeyo, Dennis. "Kimais picks 10,000m ticket to African Games". The Standard. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  3. "Trento HM: i protagonisti". www.fidal.it. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  4. "Omanyala, Chebet dominate at National Athletics Championships". Citizen Digital. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Caroline Nyaga opens up on how Faith Kipyegon motivated her to win gold at the African championships". Citizen Digital. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  6. Okeyo, Dennis. "Nyaga claims another gold for Kenya in Mauritius". The Standard. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  7. ""I didn't even have running shoes," New African champion shares moving story". sportsbrief.com. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  8. Sports, Pulse (7 July 2023). "Faith Kipyegon discusses prospects of doubling in Budapest after smoothly clinching 5,000m ticket". Pulse Sports Kenya. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  9. "Nyaga vows to bounce back after missing out on World Championships". Citizen Digital. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2024.