Moses Kiptanui

First man to run 3000m steeplechase under eight minutes.

Moses Kiptanui was born on 1 October 1970 in the Marakwet District of Kenya, and made a stunning unannounced debut at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, defeating a field that included Olympic champion Julius Kariuki to win the steeplechase title, having earned his place at the very last minute. Kiptanui failed to qualify for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics after finishing fourth at the Kenyan trials, a bitter disappointment that he channelled into breaking two world records within three days that August, first in the 3000m and then in the steeplechase. Kiptanui became a three-time World Champion in the steeplechase, and delivered the defining moment of his career on 16 August 1995 in Zurich, becoming the first man in history to run the 3000m steeplechase in under eight minutes, clocking 7:59.18 with a blistering final lap. Kiptanui also broke the 5000m world record later that year, and by the end of the 1995 season owned the six fastest steeplechase performances ever recorded, remaining widely regarded as the founding figure of the sport's modern sub-eight-minute era.

Revolutionary steeplechaser who dominated the event in early 1990s

• World champ steeplechase 1991,1993,1995
• 1996 Olympic silver
• WR 7:59.18