Nationality Kenya Role Olympic athlete Name Wilfred Bungei | Event(s) 800 metres Sport Track and field Weight 60 kg | |
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Birth name Wilfred Kipkemboi Bungei Born 24 July 1980 (age 43) ( 1980-07-24 ) Kabirirsang, Kenya Olympic medals Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres Similar People Alfred Kirwa Yego, Ismail Ahmed Ismail, Yuriy Borzakovskiy, Wilson Kipketer, Janeth Jepkosgei | ||
Wilfred bungei wins men s 800m olympic final beijing 2008
Wilfred Kipkemboi Bungei (born 24 July 1980) is a Kenyan retired Middle-distance runner, who won the 800 m gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He also won at the World indoor Championships in Moscow 2006 the 800 metres title, defeating Mbulaeni Mulaudzi and Olympic Champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy in the course of the race.
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Bungei was ranked No.1 in the world over 800 m in 2002 and 2003. He has a personal best of 1:42.34 minutes (Rieti 2002), thus being currently the seventh fastest runner in the history of the event. At the 2001 World Championships in Athletics in Edmonton he won a silver medal over 800 m, finishing behind Andre Bucher.
While in school, he focused on sprints and decathlon, before concentrating on 800 metres running. He graduated from Samoei High School in 1998. At the 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics he won a silver medal. Bungei represented his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Bungei is from Kabirirsang, a village near Kapsabet. Several of his relatives are runners, including his brother Sammy Kurgat, who won the 2008 Cologne Marathon. He is a second cousin to Kenyan-born Danish former athlete Wilson Kipketer, while his mum is a cousin of Henry Rono.
Bungei is based near Verona, Italy during track season. He is married to Priscah Bungei with two sons (as of 2008).
He was part of the 4 x 800 metres relay team who currently holds the world record.