Helen Obiri, born Hellen Onsando Obiri is a Kenyan and specializes in running middle and long distances. The Kenyan-born athlete is the only athlete who has managed to secure world championships in indoor track, outdoor track, and cross country.
Obiri achieved the second position and won silver medals twice in the 5000-meter event at both the Rio Olympics in 2016 and the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Additionally, she secured fourth place in the 10,000-meter event at the Tokyo Olympics.
Helen Obiri early life
Born and raised in Kisii, a town in southwest Kenya, Hellen Obiri grew up as the fourth child in a family with a total of six children. When she was 14 years old, she was chosen to join Riruta Central Secondary School in Nairobi as a sprinter for the 200 and 400-meter races.
Nevertheless, her enthusiasm for the sport waned, leading her to completely abandon running in 2006 and 2007 in order to prioritize her studies. She took up athletics again solely for the purpose of enlistment in the military.
Obiri completed her training at the Kenya Defence Forces Recruit Training School in Eldoret in 2009. She participated in her inaugural significant race at the 2010 Kenya Armed Forces Cross Country Championships, achieving a 32nd-place finish.
After undergoing some training the following year, she finished in fifth place. She serves as a personnel in the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF).
Helen Obiri Career
Hellen Obiri made her international debut in the 2011 Military World Games held in Rio de Janeiro. During the competition, she secured a bronze medal in the 800-meter event and achieved a fourth-place finish in the 1500-meter race.
The next month after that, she made her first appearance at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea, participating in the same event. In the preliminaries, Obiri achieved her fastest time ever, clocking in at 4:07.59.
However, during the final race, she stumbled and unintentionally caused Morgan Uceny, the expected winner of the event, to fall as well. As a result, Obiri finished in 10th place. After Daegu, she returned to Kenya and committed herself to rigorous training,’ and later explained what had happened.
At the age of 22 in 2012, Obiri achieved her initial international victory at the Istanbul World Indoor Championships by completing the 3000-meter race in a time of 8:37.16. The same year Helen lost the London marathon finishing 12th and last in the 1500m final.
Winning Diamond League and Other Achievements
On June 1, 2013, she won her first Diamond League race and also won 1500m in the USA Eugene setting a new personal best record at 3:58:58. Helen earned in the events held in Moscow, she also earned a silver medal in 3000m at the indoor championships in Sopot,
2016 in the Rio Olympics Obiri competed in the 5000m and won a silver medal in 14:29.77. In 2017 she represented Kenya in the world Championship in London and she was able to win a gold medal.2018 Helen took home two gold medals winning the Commonwealth Games and the African championships.
In March 2019, Obiri emerged victorious in the women’s senior race during the World Cross Country Championship in Aarhus, Denmark. She surpassed Dera Dida, who finished second, by a mere two seconds on a 10.2 km track, completing the race in 36 minutes and 14 seconds.
In both 2017 and 2018, Obiri achieved the fastest female times of the year in the 5000 meters. In October, she managed to retain her title at the Doha World Championships, while also setting a new record for the championship with a time of 14:26.72. Second place was secured by Margaret Kipkemboi with a time of 14 minutes and 27.49 seconds, while Konstanze Klosterhalfen took third place with a time of 14 minutes and 28.43 seconds.
Obiri participated in the women’s 5000 m and 10,000 m races at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, representing Kenya. In the previous event, she secured the second-place silver medal with a time of 14:38.36, coming in after Hassan who finished with a time of 14:36.79. Gudaf Tsegay claimed the bronze medal by completing the race in 14:38.87. Obiri achieved her personal best time in the 10,000 m final and finished fourth, with only Hassan, Kalkidan Gezahegne, and Letesenbet Gidey ahead of her.
Obiri finished in second place in the 10,000 m event at the 2022 World Championships held in Eugene, Oregon. In a thrilling conclusion, Gidey narrowly defeated her to claim the gold medal, with a mere 0.13-second gap separating the top three competitors.
She concluded her excellent season in 2022 with impressive achievements, including a personal best of 64:22 at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in February, victories at the Istanbul Half Marathon and the Great Manchester Run
Helen Obiri started strongly in the 2023 race where in February she won the RAK half marathon and the New York City half marathon which had the toughest women athletes
Helen Obiri’s Family
Hellen Obiri is a happily married woman to Tom Nyaundi who is also an athlete. The two were blessed with a daughter in 2015, Tania Blessing Macheche.
Hellen Obiri’s Net worth
Helen Obiri is one of the richest middle-distance runners in Kenya net worth of $ 5 million dollars.