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İlham Tanui Özbilen

İlham Tanui Özbilen
İlham Tanui Özbilen.JPG
Personal information
Birth name William Biwott Tanui
Nationality  Turkey
Born (1990-03-05) March 5, 1990 (age 26)
Kocholwo, Keiyo District, Kenya
Height 1.77 m (5.8 ft)
Weight 60 kg (130 lb)
Sport
Sport Middle-distance
Coached by Patrick Sang  Kenya
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)

İlham Tanui Özbilen (born William Biwott Tanui on 5 March 1990 in Kocholwo, Kenya) is a middle distance runner now representing Turkey. The 1.77 m (5.8 ft) tall athlete weighs 60 kg (130 lb). He is coached by Kenyan Patrick Sang.

Özbilen, then competing as William Biwott Tanui, won the 1500 metres at the 2009 World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki, Greece. He holds the current world junior record in the mile run with his clocking of 3:49.29 minutes, achieved in Oslo on 3 July 2009. He was also part of the Kenyan team (with Gideon Gathimba, Geoffrey Kipkoech Rono and Augustine Kiprono Choge) that set a new world record of 14:36.23 in the rarely contested 4 x 1500 metres relay at the 2009 Memorial Van Damme Golden League meeting in Brussels, Belgium.

He switched allegiance to Turkey in June 2011, changing his name to İlham Tanui Özbilen. His surname was given him by his godfather and manager Önder Özbilen, who persuaded him in December 2010 in Kenya to immigrate to Turkey. He moved in February 2011 to Turkey, and was naturalized on June 8, 2011. While he would normally have been ineligible to internationally represent his adoptive country until June 8, 2013, it was announced in February 2012 that he had received permission from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to compete for Turkey starting with the 2012 World Indoor Championships in Istanbul.


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