Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Bahraini |
Born |
Kenya |
17 November 1996
Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) |
Weight | 51 kg (112 lb) |
Sport | |
Sport | Track and field |
Event(s) | Steeplechase |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best(s) |
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Ruth Jebet (born 17 November 1996) is a long-distance runner and steeplechase specialist who competes internationally for Bahrain. She is the current world record holder and reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 3000 metres steeplechase, both achieved before turning 20.
Jebet took the opportunity to run for Bahrain at the age of sixteen, transferring her eligibility in February 2013. In April she won the 3000 metres and the 5000 metres at the Kenyan high school championships.
The teenager excelled in her debut outing for Bahrain, coming second in the 3000 metres steeplechase to Moroccan Olympian Salima El Ouali Alami at the 2013 Arab Athletics Championships. Her time of 9:52.47 minutes was a Bahraini national record for the event. She improved upon her own mark that July at the 2013 Asian Athletics Championships, where she seized the lead from the start and never relinquished her position. She defeated pre-race favourite and Asian Games champion Sudha Singh by more than fifteen seconds and her time of 9:40.84 minutes was a new championship record. This time ranked her as the top Asia steeplechase runner that year.
In 2014, still only 17, she won the World Junior Championship ahead of two other Kenyan girls. That same month at the Weltklasse Zurich with older competition, she set the Asian continental record at 9:20.55, missing the World junior record by only .13 of a second (ranking her #31 of all time).