Abel Kirui
![[Photo of Abel Kirui]](http://static.worldmarathonmajors.com/images/athletes/wmm_8445602117401.jpg)
KENYA
BIRTHDATE:
4 June 1982
PERSONAL BEST:
2:05:04 (Rotterdam, 2009)
WORLD MARATHON MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS:
25Apr10 Virgin London Marathon 5th 2:08:04
22Aug09 IAAF World Championships, Berlin 1st 2:06:54
28Sep08 real,- Berlin Marathon DNF
30Sep07 real,- Berlin Marathon 2nd 2:06:51
24Sep06 real,- Berlin Marathon 9th 2:17:47
ADDITIONAL CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
05Apr09 Fortis Rotterdam Marathon 3rd 2:05:04
27Apr08 Vienna City Marathon 1st 2:07:38
29Apr07 Vienna City Marathon 3rd 2:10:41
03Dec06 Singapore Marathon 3rd 2:15:22
CAREER NOTES:
Abel Kirui might not have expected to stay anywhere close to Haile Gebrselassie who went after and set a new world record at the 2007 real,- Berlin Marathon, but Kirui had every reason to be proud of his effort there. Taking every advantage of ideal running conditions and the fast course, he smashed his previous personal best by almost four full minutes and finished in second place with a 2:06:51. Kirui was the sixth fastest man in the world for 2007.
The previous year at Berlin he finished in the top 10 with a time of 2:17:47. Ten weeks later, running under challenging heat and humidity in Singapore, he managed to take more than two minutes off that time.
Kirui then made an even bigger improvement in Vienna in April 2007 when he placed third in 2:10:41.
As a tune-up to that race he had a major victory at the International Paderborner Osterlauf Half-Marathon in 1:01:32. Kirui then improved his personal best to 1:00:11 in a sixth place finish at the Fortis Rotterdam Half-Marathon in September.
Kirui's first marathon in 2008 was as a pace-setter for Gebrselassie at Dubai in January where he did not complete the race. He did not finish the Tokyo International Marathon in February, but was a big winner when he returned to Vienna two months later and set a new course record.
He again joined Gebrselassie at Berlin in September and although passing 30km in 1:28:25, a couple of seconds ahead of the world-record holder, Kirui did not make it to the finish line.
Six months later at Rotterdam he reached the finish in spectacular fashion. Although somewhat overlooked behind the Kwalia-Kibet battle ahead, Kirui clocked a 2:05:04 to make him the sixth fastest man in history with the eighth fastest time.
Kirui was the fastest entrant in the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. He was among a group that passed halfway in 1:03:03. By 35 kilometers, it was down to Kirui and Kenyan teammate Emmanuel Mutai in 1:44:56, 2:20 ahead of the event record split from 2003. With 5 kilometers to go, Kirui moved ahead and stretched the lead, breaking the finish line tape in 2:06:54, a World Championships record by 97 seconds.
Running his first London Marathon in 2010, Kirui stayed with eventual winner Tsegaye Kebede until the final few miles, before falling back to fifth place.