Wilson Kipketer
- Born
- Dec 12, 1972 (53 years old)
- Birthplace
- Kapchemoiywo, Kenya
- Events
- 800 Metres Short Track · 1000 Metres Short Track
- Height
- 1.72 m
- Weight
- 64 kg
- Club
- Sparta Atletik
Wilson Kipketer is a Kenyan-born Danish former middle-distance runner who dominated the 800 metres for over a decade. With a personal best of 1:41.11, he is tied as the second fastest man ever over the distance, behind David Rudisha. Kipketer set and broke his own 800 m world record three times in 1997, and his mark stood for nearly 13 years before Rudisha surpassed it in 2010.
Kipketer won three consecutive gold medals at the World Championships in Athletics, cementing his status as the premier half-miler of his era. He remained unbeaten over 800 m for a three-year stretch and ran eight of the all-time fastest times at the distance. Although he was unable to compete at the 1996 Olympics near the peak of his career, he earned a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Games and a bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Kipketer also held the short-track world record in the 800 metres from 1997, a testament to his remarkable consistency and longevity at the top of the event. He represented both Sparta and KIF during his running career.
As of Oct 27, 2026: 800 Metres Short Track 1:44.68, 1000 Metres Short Track 2:14.96, 2004 season best 1:43.88 (Jul 2, 2004, Stadio Olimpico, Roma (ITA)) · Last competition: Monaco IAAF World Athletics Final, Stade Louis II, Monaco, Sep 18, 2004, 1:46.37 · Olympic Games: 1 silver, 1 bronze · World Championships: 3 gold · Area record (800 m) · 53 years old
Personal bests
WA points calculator →Medals
| Competitions | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | – | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| World Championships | 3 | – | – | 3 |
| Total | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Progression
| Season | Discipline | Result | Wind | Date | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 800m | 1:43.88 | – | Jul 2, 2004 | Roma Golden Gala |
| 2003 | 800m | 1:43.28 | – | Sep 5, 2003 | Bruxelles Memorial Van Damme |
| 2003 | 800m-short-track Indoor | 1:44.68 | – | Feb 18, 2003 | Stockholm (SWE) (i) |
| 2003 | 800m-short-track | 1:44.68 | – | Feb 18, 2003 | – |
| 2003 | 1000m Indoor | 2:18.36 | – | Feb 2, 2003 | Schleyer Halle, Stuttgart (GER) (i) |
| 2003 | 1000m-short-track | 2:18.36 | – | Feb 2, 2003 | – |
| 2003 | 1000m-short-track Indoor | 2:18.36 | – | Feb 2, 2003 | Schleyer Halle, Stuttgart (GER) (i) |
| 2002 | 800m | 1:42.32 | – | Sep 8, 2002 | Rieti (ITA) |