Wilson Kipsang

Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich grew up in Kenya's Keiyo District and began competitive running with the Kenya Police, where he served before turning professional around 2007. He launched his marathon career in 2010 at Frankfurt, winning his debut in 2:06:49 and returning to win again the following year.

Kipsang reached the top of the sport quickly. He won London in 2012 and earned bronze at the London Olympics that same year. In 2013 he set the marathon world record at Berlin with 2:03:23, cutting 15 seconds from Patrick Makau's previous mark. He is the only athlete on record to have beaten Eliud Kipchoge in a marathon. He won London again in 2014 in 2:04:29, a course record at the time, and added New York City the same autumn. His Tokyo win in 2017 came in 2:03:58, a course record.

By the time he left competitive racing, Kipsang had logged four sub-2:04 marathon performances and won titles at Frankfurt, London, New York, and Tokyo. He trained in Iten, Kenya throughout his career, the high-altitude base that produced a generation of the world's top distance runners.

In January 2020 he was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for whereabouts violations and tampering with the doping control process, including submitting a fabricated photograph as evidence. The violation carried a four-year ban. He is eligible to return to competition.