View source for Daniel Komen

{{short description|Kenyan runner}}
{{Distinguish|Daniel Kipchirchir Komen}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name             = Daniel Komen
| image            = <!-- name.jpg -->
| image_size       = <!--Only for images narrower than 220 pixels.-->
| alt              = 
| caption          = 
| birth_name       = 
| fullname         = Daniel Kipngetich Komen
| nationality      = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1976|5|17|df=y}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Komen Daniel|url=http://www.iaaf.net/athletes/biographies/country=ken/athcode=15134/index.html|work=iaaf.net|publisher=[[International Association of Athletics Federations]]|access-date=16 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304221812/http://www.iaaf.net/athletes/biographies/country=ken/athcode=15134/index.html|archive-date=4 March 2014|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
| birth_place      = [[Mwen]], Kenya
| death_date       = <!-- {{death date and age|death year|death month|death day|birth year|birth month|birth day}} -->
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| height           = {{convert|170|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight           = {{convert|55|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| country          = [[Kenya]]
| sport            = [[Sport of athletics|Athletics]]
| event            = [[Middle-distance running|Middle-]], [[Long-distance running]]
| club             = 
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| retired          = 
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| worlds           = 
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{{Medal|Sport|Men's [[Sport of athletics|Athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country|{{flagicon|KEN}} [[Kenya national athletics team|Kenya]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1997 World Championships in Athletics|1997 Athens]]|[[1997 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 5000 metres|5000&nbsp;m]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Cup in Athletics|World Cup]]}}
{{Medal|Country|[[File:Africa (orthographic projection).svg|20px]] [[Africa]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1998 IAAF World Cup|1998 Johannesburg]]|[[1998 IAAF World Cup#Medal summary|5000&nbsp;m]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1998 African Championships in Athletics|1998 Dakar]]|[[1998 African Championships in Athletics#Men's results|5000&nbsp;m]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Athletics at the Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[Athletics at the 1998 Commonwealth Games|1998 Kuala Lumpur]]|[[Athletics at the 1998 Commonwealth Games – Men's 5000 metres|5000&nbsp;m]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics|1994 Lisbon]]|[[1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres|5000&nbsp;m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|1994 Lisbon|[[1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's 10,000 metres|10,000&nbsp;m]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[African Junior Athletics Championships|African Junior Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1994 African Junior Athletics Championships|1994 Algiers]]|[[1994 African Junior Athletics Championships#Men|5000&nbsp;m]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Cross Country Championships|World Cross Country Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|1994 Budapest]]|[[1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior men's race|U20 team]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|1998 Marrakesh]]|[[1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Men's short race|Short race team]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|1994 Budapest|[[1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior men's race|U20 race]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|1998 Marrakesh|[[1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Men's short race|Short race]]}}
}}

'''Daniel Kipngetich Komen''' (born 17 May 1976)<ref name="Competitor 05.2011">{{cite web |url=http://running.competitor.com/2011/05/features/what-ever-happened-to-daniel-komen_27486 |author=Matt Fitzgerald |title=What Ever Happened To Daniel Komen? |date=March 2011 |work=Competitor Magazine}} Komen is rumoured to be three years older than officially recognised.</ref> is a Kenyan [[Middle-distance running|middle-]] and [[Long-distance running|long-distance runner]]. Remembered for his rivalry with [[Haile Gebrselassie]], his most notable achievements came in a two-year period between 1996 and 1998, during which he broke a string of world records.<ref name="Competitor 05.2011"/>

Komen held the [[List of world records in athletics|world record]] in the [[3000 metres]] for nearly 28 years, with a time of 7:20.67 set in 1996. Komen also held the world best in the [[Two miles|two mile run]] for nearly 26 years. With his time of 7:58.61 set in 1997, he, along with [[Jakob Ingebrigtsen]], are the only two men in history to average two [[four-minute mile|miles at a sub-four-minute mile pace.]] Komen's splits were 3:59.4 on both the first and second half of the race.<ref name="Competitor 05.2011"/> He is also the [[List of Kenyan records in athletics|Kenyan record]] holder for the [[5000 metres]] both outdoors and indoors.

Komen was the second man, after [[Saïd Aouita]], to break the 3{{frac|1|2}}-minute mark for the [[1500 metres|1500&nbsp;m]], the 7{{frac|1|2}}-minute mark for 3000&nbsp;m, and the 13-minute mark for the 5000&nbsp;m.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

==Early life==
Komen was born in Elgeyo Marakwet District. He is from the [[Keiyo]] sub-tribe of [[Kalenjin people]] and grew up in a rural area of Kenya's [[Rift Valley Province]].<ref name="Competitor 05.2011"/> One of fourteen children,<ref name="Tanser2001_186">[[#Tanser2001|Tanser (2001)]], p. 186.</ref> Komen began running at the age of seven as a means of getting to and from school.<ref name="Competitor 05.2011"/> His running abilities were discovered and at the age of 14 he travelled to Australia. Komen had an exceptional junior career: at age 17, he placed second at the World Junior Cross Country Championships, and in 1994, he became the World Junior Champion in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters.

==Career==
Komen first appeared in the senior ranks in 1994 when he won a place on Kenya's 10,000&nbsp;m team for the [[Athletics at the 1994 Commonwealth Games – Men's 10,000 metres|1994 Commonwealth Games]], placing ninth. The next year, at the Golden Gala meet in Rome, Komen set the world junior record in the 5,000m with a time of 12:56.15, helping pace [[Moses Kiptanui]] to a world record in the process.<ref name="Tanser2001_185b">[[#Tanser2001|Tanser (2001)]], p. 185.</ref>

In 1996, Komen began to dominate the 5,000&nbsp;m.<ref name="Tanser2001_185b"/> On 1 September 1996 in [[Province of Rieti|Rieti, Italy]], Komen ran a spectacular [[world record]] time of 7:20.67 in the [[3000 metres]], breaking [[Noureddine Morceli]]'s former record by 4.44 seconds. Komen's record stood untouched for nearly 28 years, with [[Hicham El Guerrouj]]'s 1999 time of 7:23.09 being over two seconds behind Komen. [[Jakob Ingebrigtsen]] would break the record on 25 August 2024, clocking 7:17.55 to become the first man under 7:20.

A year later, on 19 July 1997, Komen made history again. In [[Hechtel-Eksel|Hechtel, Belgium]], he became the first man to run [[two miles]] in under eight minutes, clocking a world best of 7:58.61.<ref name = "Michalik data">See here for Komen's lap splits: {{cite web |url=http://faculty.randolphcollege.edu/tmichalik/8min.htm |title=THE EIGHT MINUTE TWO-MILE!! |work=Personal web page |author=Professor Tom Michalik |access-date=13 August 2011}}</ref> His first mile was faster than [[Roger Bannister]]'s first-ever sub-four, while his second equalled it.<ref name = "Michalik data"/> Just seven months later, at an [[Australia]]n athletics meet in [[Sydney]], Komen ran 7:58.91, missing his world best by 0.30 seconds. This performance makes Komen the only man in history to break 8 minutes in the two mile more than once. His 7:58.61 world best in the two mile stood for nearly 26 years, until 9 June 2023 when Jakob Ingebrigtsen ran 7:54.10.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Two Miles - men - senior - all |url=https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middlelong/two-miles/all/men/senior?regionType=world&page=1&bestResultsOnly=false&firstDay=1899-12-31&lastDay=2024-09-02&maxResultsByCountry=all&eventId=10229608&ageCategory=senior |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=worldathletics.org}}</ref>

In August 1997 he broke the 5000&nbsp;m world record and took two seconds off of Haile Gebrselassie's best to bring it to 12:39.74.

Only twelve days after the previous world record of 7:26.15 was set by Haile Gebrselassie, Komen broke the indoor 3,000-metre record with a time of 7:24.90, set in [[Budapest]] on 6 February 1998. This mark was referred to as "[[Mount Everest]]"<ref name="IAAF 29.01.2004">{{Cite web | title = Bekele to hit the boards for the first time in Stuttgart | url = http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/bekele-to-hit-the-boards-for-the-first-time-i | access-date = 4 November 2013 | publisher = [[IAAF|iaaf.org]] | date = 29 January 2004 }} See paragraph 12 of the article.</ref> in [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]] circles and had been bettered only twice outdoors, one of them being Komen's own world record. [[Kenenisa Bekele]] believed that breaking Komen's record was only "possible on a special day if the pace is good and if everything else also is perfect."<ref name="IAAF 20.02.2007">{{Cite web | title = Bekele gunning for 3000 WR, while Swedish stars share the spotlight – Stockholm preview | url = http://www.iaaf.org/news/preview/bekele-gunning-for-3000-wr-while-swedish-star | access-date = 4 November 2013 | publisher = [[IAAF|iaaf.org]] | date = 20 February 2007 }}</ref> This mark, having stood for more than 25 years, was bettered on February 15, 2023 by Ethiopia's [[Lamecha Girma]] with a time of 7:23.81 in the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Lievin. Spain's [[Mohamed Katir]] also went under Komen's previous record with a time of 7:24.68.

Other accolades include being the [[1997 World Championships in Athletics]] and [[1998 Commonwealth Games]] 5,000-meter champion.  He won the 5000 metres race at the [[1998 IAAF World Cup]].<ref>gbrathletics.com: [http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/wp.htm IAAF WORLD CUP IN ATHLETICS]</ref>

Out of the limelight since the late 1990s, Komen now serves as chairman of the Keiyo North Rift Athletics Association and as co-director of a private school with his wife, Joyce.<ref name="Competitor 05.2011"/>

==Achievements==
===Personal bests===
''Daniel Komen's personal bests, and their place on the world ranking of all times, unless otherwise noted. All times and placings are taken from [https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/daniel-komen-14208667 Komen's World Athletics bio] ({{as of|2024|9|lc=on}}).''
{|class="wikitable"
! Distance !! Time !! All-Time Rank !! Date !! Place
|-
| [[1500 metres]]
| '''3:29.46''' || 31st ||16 August 1997 || [[Monaco]]
|-
| [[Mile run|Mile]]
| '''3:46.38''' || 8th ||26 August 1997 || [[Berlin]]
|-
| [[2000 metres]]
| '''4:51.30''' || 17th ||5 June 1998 || [[Milan]]
|-
| [[3000 metres]]
| '''7:20.67''' || 2nd, [[List of African records in athletics|AR]], [[List of Kenyan records in athletics|NR]]||1 September 1996 || [[Rieti]]
|-
| 3000 metres indoor
| '''7:24.90''' || 3rd ||6 February 1998 || [[Budapest]]
|-
| [[Two miles]]
| '''7:58.61''' || 2nd ||19 July 1997<ref>[http://www.gbrathletics.com/wrec.htm World Records and Best Performances<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> || [[Hechtel-Eksel|Hechtel]]
|-
| [[5000 metres]]
| '''12:39.74''' || 6th, '''{{AthAbbr|NR|Kenyan}}''' ||22 August 1997 || [[Brussels]]
|-
| 5000 metres indoor
| '''12:51.48''' || 3rd, '''{{AthAbbr|NR|Kenyan}}''' ||19 February 1998 || [[Stockholm]]
|-
| [[10,000 metres]]
| '''27:38.32''' || 479th* ||30 August 2002 || [[Brussels]]
|}

===International competitions===
{|{{AchievementTable|nation=KEN|Event=yes|Result=yes|NotesOff=yes}}
|-
|rowspan=5|1994
|rowspan=2|[[1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|World Cross Country Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Budapest]], Hungary
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|U20 race
|[[1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior men's race|24:17]]
|-
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|U20 team
|[[1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior men's race|18 pts]]
|-
|[[1994 African Junior Athletics Championships|African Junior Championships]]
|[[Algiers]], Algeria
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|5000 m
|[[1994 African Junior Athletics Championships#Men|13:31.10]]
|-
|rowspan=2|[[1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Lisbon]], Portugal
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|5000 m
|[[1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres|13:45.37]]
|-
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|10,000 m
|[[1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's 10,000 metres|28:29.74]]
|-
|1997
|[[1997 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Athens]], Greece
|bgcolor=gold| 1st
|5000 m
|[[1997 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres|13:07.38]]
|-
|rowspan=5|1998
|rowspan=2|[[1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|World Cross Country Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Marrakesh]], Morocco
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|Short race
|[[1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Men's short race|10:46]]
|-
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|Short race team
|[[1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Men's short race|10 pts]]
|-
|[[1998 African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]
|[[Dakar]], Senegal
|bgcolor=gold| 1st
|5000 m
|[[1998 African Championships in Athletics#Men's results|13:35.70]]
|-
|[[1998 IAAF World Cup|World Cup]]
|[[Johannesburg]], South Africa
|bgcolor=gold| 1st
|5000 m
|[[1998 IAAF World Cup#Medal summary|13:46.57]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1998 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|[[Kuala Lumpur]], Malaysia
|bgcolor=gold| 1st
|5000 m
|[[Athletics at the 1998 Commonwealth Games – Men's 5000 metres|13:22.57]]
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=Tanser |first=Toby |year=2001 |orig-year=1997
  |title=Train Hard, Win Easy: The Kenyan Way |edition=2nd
  |location=[[Mountain View, California|Mountain View]] |publisher=Tafnews Press |isbn=0-911521-60-7 |ref=Tanser2001}}

==External links==
* {{World Athletics}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070917052034/http://www.kimbia.net/athletes/daniel_komen.php Kimbia Athletics profile] (archive.org)
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOP15TyMSIk Highlight footage of his 7:58.61 record for 2 miles]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6gLVIAXWQo Video recording of Komen's outdoor 3,000m record]
* [http://running.competitor.com/2014/06/features/what-ever-happened-to-daniel-komen_27486 A biographical article "What Ever Happened to Daniel Komen?" that includes much race information from Komen's career] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626031708/http://running.competitor.com/2014/06/features/what-ever-happened-to-daniel-komen_27486 |date=26 June 2014 }}

{{S-start}}
{{S-ach|rec}}
{{Succession box|before=[[Noureddine Morceli]]|title=[[World record progression for the Men's 3,000 m|Men's 3000 m World Record Holder]]|years=1 September 1996 – 25 August 2024 |after=[[Jakob Ingebrigtsen]]}}
{{Succession box|before=[[Haile Gebrselassie]] |title=[[5000 meters#World record progression|Men's 5000 m World Record Holder]]|years=22 August 1997 – 13 June 1998 |after=[[Haile Gebrselassie]]}}
{{S-sports}}
{{Succession box|before=[[Moses Kiptanui]]|title=[[3000 metres#Men.27s Seasons Best|Men's 3000 m Best Year Performance]]|years=1996|after=[[Haile Gebrselassie]]}}
{{Succession box|before=[[Haile Gebrselassie]]|title=[[5000 metres#Men's seasons best (outdoor track)|Men's 5000 m Best Year Performance]]|years=1996 – 1997|after=[[Haile Gebrselassie]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Footer World Champions 5000 m Men}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions 5000m Men}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 5000m Men}}
{{Footer African Champions men's 5000 metres}}
{{Footer Junior World Champions 5000 m Men}}
{{Footer World Junior Champions men's 10,000 metres}}
{{Footer Australia NC 5000 m Men}}
{{Footer WBYP 3000m Men}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Komen, Daniel}}
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Athletes from Elgeyo-Marakwet County]]
[[Category:Kenyan men long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Kenyan men middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:Kenyan men cross country runners]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Kenya]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for Kenya]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Kenya]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World Athletics record holders]]
[[Category:World Athletics indoor record holders]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Australian Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:20th-century Kenyan sportsmen]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]