Pamela Jelimo

Pamela Jelimo (born 5 December 1989) is a Kenyan athlete specialising in the 800 metres. She won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She is the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic gold medal and also the first Kenyan to win the Golden League Jackpot. She holds both the 800 m world junior record and the senior African record over the same distance.

Early life

Pamela Jelimo was born in Kiptamok village, Nandi District, Rift Valley Province. cite web |last=Bartoo |first=Vincent |title=Grand reception awaits superstar Jelimo |publisher="The Standard" |date=2008-09-07 |url=http://www.eastandard.net/InsidePage.php?id=1143994339&cid=4 |accessdate=2008-10-08 ] Her mother, Esther Cheptoo Keter, was a promising 200 metres and 400 metres runner but the customs of the Nandi tribe meant that as the last-born daughter she could not marry and had to care for her parents in their old age. However, she was allowed to bear children to different men thus Jelimo was raised by her mother in a family of three brothers and six sisters. cite web |last=Rice |first=Xan |title=Bittersweet return for Olympic star |publisher="The Guardian" |date=2008-10-04 |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/04/kenya.olympicsandthemedia |accessdate=2008-10-08 ] Jelimo began running in 2003, aged 13, at Koyo Secondary in the Kaptumo division, near Kapsabet. cite web |last=Brown |first=Matthew |title=Jelimo - really starting something |publisher=IAAF |date=2008-08-19 |url=http://www.iaaf.org/OLY08/news/kind=103/newsid=46940.html |accessdate=2008-10-08 ] She quickly established herself as an accomplished athlete, winning at schools' championships in the 100 metres, 200 m, 400 m, 800 metres, 400 metres hurdles and heptathlon. cite web |last=Oyoo |first=Jack |title=Village celebrates Jelimo's success |publisher=Reuters |date=2008-09-30 |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUKTRE48T3QN20080930?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=sportsNews&rpc=401&sp=true |accessdate=2008-10-08 ] Her high school games teacher Philip N'Geno remarked that she used to compete with the boys in sprint events as the girls did not provide the competition she needed.

The family was poor and struggled to pay the fees to send Jelimo to secondary school — her two older siblings had already dropped out as they were unable to meet the costs. She refused to quit and began selling milk from the family cattle to pay her fees, traversing steep slopes on foot to sell it at Chemase market. The school headmaster Daniel Maru donated money for track suits and running shoes so that Jelimo could attend Kenya's centre of excellence for distance running. By 2004, Jelimo had reached the local provincial championships in the 400 m. Maru continued his generosity, allowing the young athlete to graduate while she still owed one year's worth of fees. Still, her mother was forced to sell her last cow so Jelimo could take her exams.

In June 2007 she finished fifth in the 400 metres race at the Kenyan Championships with a time of 55.82 seconds. [ cite web |title=Results June 2007 |publisher=Africathle.com |date=2007-06-16 |url=http://www.africathle.com/gb/perso/perf/062007.html |accessdate=2008-10-08 ] She kept improving throughout the season, winning the 400 metres gold medal at the African Junior Championships with a finish of 54.93 s and setting a Kenyan national junior record in the 200 m with 24.68 s. Jelimo was pleased with her accomplishments but her new coach Zaid Kipkemboi Aziz suggested that she change to 800 m, stating that she would perform best over the longer distance. She began working for the Kenyan police force and was training with fellow Kenyan runner Janeth Jepkosgei.

Jelimo ran her first 800 metres race on 19 April 2008 at the Kenyan trials for the African championships, clocking 2:01.02 minutes. [ cite web |last=Ramsak |first=Bob |title=Berlin witnesses Jelimo, 800m revelation - ÅF Golden League |publisher=IAAF |date=2008-06-01 |url=http://www.iaaf.org/GLE08/news/newsid=45140.html |accessdate=2008-10-08 ] Despite her budding athletics career, she continued to work at the Embu Police station as a police constable, earning KSh 11000 a month (roughly 100 €). [ cite web |last=Okoth |first=Omulo |title=Top athletes’ affinity with armed forces |publisher="The Standard" |date=2008-09-22 |url=http://www.eastandard.net/InsidePage.php?id=1143995445&cid=4& |accessdate=2008-10-08 ]

Rise to prominence

She made her breakthrough at the 2008 African Championships in Athletics aged 18. [IAAF:4 May, 2008: [http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=44690.html Chelimo defeats Mutola, K. Bekele takes 5000m - African Championships, final day] ] Her time, 1:58.70, was a new national junior record. On 25 May 2008 she won 800 metres at the Hengelo Grand Prix event and set a new Junior World Record of 1:55.76. The previous record (1:57.18) was set by Yuan Wang of China in 1993. [IAAF, 24 May, 2008: [http://www.iaaf.org/GP08/news/kind=100/newsid=45000.html Saladino, Jelimo and Gebrselassie the stars in Hengelo – IAAF World Athletics Tour] ] It was also a new Kenyan record, previously held by Janeth Jepkosgei (1:56.04 in 2007). [ Daily Nation, 26 May, 2008: [http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=5&newsid=124091 Jelimo sets new world junior record] ] On 1 June 2008 she ran an impressive 800 m race in Berlin and won the ISTAF Golden League in 1:54.99, a new African record. The previous African record (1:55.19) was set by Maria Mutola in 1994.

On 18 July 2008 she bettered the record slightly to 1:54.97 in Paris. It was also her fourth consecutive win in ÅF Golden League, where she was one of only two remaining jackpot contenders, the other being high jumper Blanka Vlašić. [IAAF, 18 July, 2008: [http://www.iaaf.org/GLE08/news/newsid=46232.html Jelimo 1:54.97; Robles 12.88; Wariner 43.86 in Paris - ÅF Golden League, Paris] ] On 18 August 2008 Jelimo won gold in the 800 metres at the Beijing Olympics. Her time was 1:54.87, again a record. She became the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic gold medal. [ The Standard, 18 August, 2008: [http://www.eastandard.net/InsidePage.php?id=1143992843&cid=4& Kenya wins two Olympic gold medals] .]

She continued her unbeaten streak by winning the Weltklasse Golden League meeting in Zurich on 29 August 2008 improving her personal best to 1:54.01. [ [http://www.weltklasse.ch/en/meeting/live.html?ev=wt800 Weltklasse 2008 results] ] This is the third fastest performance ever, behind Nadezhda Olizarenko and the world record of Jarmila Kratochvílová. At the Memorial van Damme competition in Brussels, the ÅF Golden League final, Jelimo won the 800 metres with a time of 1:55.16. [ cite web |title=Memorial Van Damme 2008 |publisher=IAAF |date=2008-09-05 |url=http://www.iaaf.org/gle08/results/eventcode=3918/sex=W/disccode=800/combcode=hash/roundcode=f/index.html#detW800 |accessdate=2008-09-07 ] As the only athlete to win the same event at all six Golden League meetings, she won the competition's jackpot of $1,000,000. The only other remaining, Blanca Vlasic, failed to win the last event. [ cite web |title=Jelimo wins Golden League jackpot |publisher="International Herald Tribune" |date=2008-09-05 |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/05/sports/EU-ATH-Van-Damme-Golden-League-Jackpot.php |accessdate=2008-09-07 ] She is the first Kenyan to win Golden League jackpot. [AFP, September 17, 2008: [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hQag06o7CautKvULyMj7AFQt33wA Kenya's heroine Jelimo spurs stampede at home arrival] ]

She crowned her unbeaten season by winning her race at the 2008 IAAF World Athletics Final. After the event she returned to Kenya for the fisrt time since the Olympic trials and was welcomed by major festivities. On 18 September 2008 in Kapsabet Town, a street – Pamela Jelimo Street – was named in her honour. [Daily Nation, September 18, 2008: [http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/athletics/-/1100/472350/-/tin706z/-/index.html Pomp as street is named after million dollar girl] ]

Achievements

Personal bests

Correct as of "10 October 2008". All information from IAAF profile.

Competition record

References

External links

*iaaf name|id=241321

Persondata
NAME = Jelimo, Pamela
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Kenyan long-distance sprinter and Olympic gold medallist
DATE OF BIRTH = 5 December 1989
PLACE OF BIRTH = Nandi District, Kenya
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =