Richard Chelimo
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing  Kenya
|
||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1992 Barcelona | 10,000 m |
| World Championships | ||
|
1991 Tokyo | 10,000 m |
 |
1993 Stuttgart | 10,000 m |
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
1990 Plovdiv | 10,000 m |
Richard Chelimo (21 April 1972 – 15 August 2001) was a Kenyan long-distance runner, and a former world record holder over 10,000 metres. However, he is best known as the silver medallist in the controversial 10,000m at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He was also a world junior record holder in the 10,000m.
Chelimo, who was born in the Marakwet region of Kenya, was a member of the Kalenjin tribe (known by some as the "running tribe"). He came from a noted athletic family, even amongst the tribesmen, his cousin, Moses Kiptanui, was a three-time steeplechase world champion, whilst his brother, Ismael Kirui, was twice world champion over 5000 m.
Chelimo's first international success was in the junior section of the 1990 world cross country championship in Aix-les-Bains, France, where he took silver. Though Chelimo received little attention due to the Kenyan domination of the event, their team won 10 successive junior titles.
However, it was not long before the athletic community took notice of Chelimo's talent. Later that year he won the gold medal in the 10,000 m at the world junior championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Chelimo won the race by 12 seconds from his own brother, Kirui, who was only 15 at the time.
Chelimo was selected in the Kenyan senior squad for the 10,000 m at the 1991 world championships, which took place in Tokyo. As Kenya's second runner he was assigned the task of being pacemaker to Moses Tanui. He was successful in dragging Tanui clear of his main rival, Morocco's Khalid Skah, and on the final lap he allowed Tanui to sprint clear to take the gold medal.
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