Jonah Koech Kipruto (born 12 December 1996) is a Kenyan-born middle-distance runner who represents the United States in international competitions. He specializes in the 800 meters and 1500 meters.
.jpg) Koech at the 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Jonah Koech Kipruto | ||||||||||||||
| Born | December 12, 1996 Eldoret, Kenya | ||||||||||||||
| Education | St. Patrick's High School University of Texas at El Paso '18 BS Physical Therapy Texas Tech University '19 MS Physical therapy[1][2] | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country |
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| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||
Event | 800m | ||||||||||||||
| College team | Texas Tech Red Raiders UTEP Miners | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Under Armour | ||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Tom Brumlik | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal bests |
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Medal record
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In the 800 meters, he qualified for the 2022 World Athletics Championships and 2022 NACAC Championships after finishing second at the 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.[4][5] In the 1500 meters, he won both the 2025 Rabat Diamond League and the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.[6][7]
He competes for the Under Armour Mission Run team, based in Baltimore, Maryland.[6]
Early life and collegiate career
editIn the 2010s, Koech attended St. Patrick’s High School in Iten, Kenya, where he trained under Colm O'Connell, and alongside 800 meter world record holder David Rudisha.[6]
Koech is a 10-Time USTFCCCA All-American.[8] In 2015, as an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Texas at El Paso, Koech finished 11th at the 2015 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. In 2016, Koech finished 6th in the indoor mile and 6th in the outdoor 800m at the NCAA Division I Championships. He later transferred to Texas Tech in 2018, and became a U.S. citizen in 2019 after graduating and enlisting in the U.S. Army.[6]
Professional career
editIn 2022, Koech ran a personal best of 1:44.74 to finish second in the 800 meter final at the 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, he advanced to the semifinals but was disqualified.[6]
On May 25, 2025, Koech won the 1500 meters at the Rabat Diamond League, in a meet record and personal best of 3:31.43. He became the third American man after Leo Manzano and Yared Nuguse to win a Diamond League 1500 meter or mile race.[6] On May 31, 2025, at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Koech improved his 800 meter personal best to 1:43.32.[9]
On August 2, 2025, Koech won a national title over the 1500 meters at the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, finishing in a personal best time of 3:30.17, thus qualifying for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. Before the race, Koech stated that he was 75-percent healthy and was dealing with a hamstring issue.[7][10]
Achievements and titles
editNCAA performances
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Jonah Koech". texastech.com. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ↑ Jonah Koech UTEP Miners
- ↑ Jonah Koech at World Athletics
- ↑ Williams, Don (27 June 2022). "Texas Tech ex Koech makes U.S. team for World Championships". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ↑ Three World Class Athlete Program Track & Field Athletes Qualify for U.S. World Team United States Army
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 LetsRun.com (2025-05-27). "How An American Sprung One of the Biggest Upsets in Track & Field History". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
- 1 2 null (2025-08-02). "Jonah Koech Stuns Field To Win U.S. 1500m Title at USATF Championships 2025". FloTrack. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
- ↑ Jonah Koech results TFRRS
- ↑ Perelman, Rich (2025-06-01). "ATHLETICS: Two world leads at Keino Classic in Nairobi, plus U.S.'s Koech goes 1:43.32 in 800; NCAA women's second rounds conclude". The Sports Examiner. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
- ↑ "Jonah Koech—Despite Just '75%' Health—Pulls Off a Huge 1500-Meter Upset at USAs". Runner's World. 2025-08-02. Retrieved 2025-08-03.