Leonard Barsoton

Leonard Kiplimo Barsoton

Barsoton nearing halfway point in 2021 Boston Marathon where he got 5th place
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Kenya
African Games
Silver medal – second place 2015 Brazzaville 10,000 m
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
Silver medal – second place 2015 Guiyang Senior team
African Cross Country Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Kampala Senior race
Gold medal – first place 2014 Kampala Senior team

Leonard Kiplimo Barsoton (born 21 October 1994) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes mainly in cross country running and track events. He has represented his country twice at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and was a silver medallist over 10,000 metres at the African Games.

Career

After starting his career based in Japan,[1] Barsoton emerged as a junior athlete in 2013 by placing second to Ronald Kwemoi at the national cross country trials.[2] He was chosen for the junior team at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and claimed the silver medal in both the individual and team races, having finished adrift of the comfortable favourite Hagos Gebrhiwet.[3] After a runner-up finish behind Bedan Karoki at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships,[4] he led Kenya to a sweep of the medals at the 2014 African Cross Country Championships, winning the race with his teammates Kipruto Kangogo, Rono Cherop and Solomon Kirwa Yego completing the top four.[5] He also proved himself on the track that year with a 10,000 metres best of 27:20.74 minutes, ending the year fifth on the world rankings.[6]

Barsoton established himself as a senior level runner in the 2015 season. Following his third place at the Kenyan Championships, he finished fifth at the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, helping the Kenyan men to a team silver.[7] On the outdoor track he took a 10,000 m silver at the 2015 African Games, beaten by Ethiopia's Tsebelu Zewude.[8] He failed to build on this in the 2016, not making any national teams, and ranked just outside the world's top 30 for the 10,000 m for season.[9]

He became national champion at the 2017 Kenyan Cross Country Championships.[10]

Personal bests

All information from All-Athletics profile[11]

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
2013 World Cross Country Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 2nd Junior race 21:08
2nd Junior team 26 pts
2014 African Cross Country Championships Kampala, Uganda 1st Senior race 34:26.12
1st Senior team 10 pts
2015 World Cross Country Championships Guiyang, China 5th Senior race 35:24
2nd Senior team 20 pts
African Games Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo 2nd 10,000 m 27:27.55

National titles

References

  1. ^ Scramble for Worlds tickets beckons after championships. Daily Nation (2015-07-14). Retrieved on 2016-09-03.
  2. ^ Mutuota, Mutwiri (2013-02-16). Rono and Muriuki win Kenyan World Cross Trials in Nairobi. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-09-03.
  3. ^ Minshull, Phil (2013-03-24). World record breaker Gebrhiwet gets his first major title – Bydgoszcz 2013 junior men's report . IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-09-03.
  4. ^ Mutuota, Mutwiri (2014-02-15). Karoki and Kipyegon win in Nairobi. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-09-03.
  5. ^ Kenya makes a clean sweep at African Cross Country Championships. IAAF (2014-03-16). Retrieved on 2016-09-03.
  6. ^ senior outdoor 2014 10,000 Metres men. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-09-03.
  7. ^ Mutuota, Mutwiri (2015-02-14). Karoki and Kipyegon successfully defend Kenyan cross-country titles. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-09-03.
  8. ^ Mulkeen, Jon (2015-09-15). Ivorian sprint double for Meite and Ta Lou at All-African Games. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-09-03.
  9. ^ senior outdoor 2016 10,000 Metres men. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-09-03.
  10. ^ Evans, Kip (2017-02-18). Barsoton and Cheptai take Kenyan cross-country titles. IAAF. Retrieved on 2017-03-22.
  11. ^ Leonard BARSOTON. All-Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-09-03.