Rise To Prominence
Komen first appeared in the senior ranks in 1994 when he won a place on Kenya's 10,000m team for the 1994 Commonwealth Games, later that same year helping pace Moses Kiptanui to a 5,000m record.
Two years later, Komen began to dominate the 5,000m. On September 1, 1996 in Rieti, Italy, Komen ran a spectacular world record time of 7:20.67 in the 3000 metres, breaking Noureddine Morceli's former record by 4.44 seconds.
A year later, Komen made history again. In Hechtel, Belgium, Komen became the first (and so far only) man to run two miles in under eight minutes, clocking a world record 7:58.61. Just seven months later, at an Australian athletics meet in Sydney, Komen ran another 7:58, missing his world record by 0.30 seconds.
In August 1997 he broke the 5000m world record and took two seconds off of Haile Gebrselassie's best to bring it to 12:39.74.
Only twelve days after the previous world record of 7:26.15 was set by Haile Gebrselassie, Komen broke the indoor 3,000-metre record with a time of 7:24.90, set in Budapest on February 6, 1998. This mark is still referred to as "Mount Everest" in athletics circles and has been bettered only twice outdoors, one of them being Komen's own world record. Kenenisa Bekele believes that breaking Komen's record is only "possible on a special day if the pace is good and if everything else also is perfect."
Other accolades include being the 1997 World Championships in Athletics and 1998 Commonwealth Games 5,000-meter champion. He won the 5000 metres race at the 1998 IAAF World Cup.
Out of the limelight since the late 1990s, Komen now serves as chairman of the Keiyo North Rift Athletics Association, and as co-director of a private school with his wife, Joyce.
Read more about this topic: Daniel Komen
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