Paul Ereng

Paul Ereng started as a promising 400 runner but after enrolling at the University of Virginia, Ereng moved up to 800 metres in early 1988. Ereng won the 1988 NCAA 800 m title, defending that title in 1989, but at the Kenyan Olympic trials, he barely made the Olympic team, finishing third. Not considered among the favorites in Seoul, Ereng surprised when he surged past three runners on the final straight to win the gold medal.

At the 1989 World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Ereng produced a devastating finish to win the gold medal in a world indoor record of 1:44.84. In 1991, Ereng retained his world indoor title at Seville, but was only fourth at the Tokyo World Championships. Ereng never again posed a major threat in major international championships, and was eliminated in the semi-finals at the 1992 Olympics. Ereng graduated from Virginia in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies and later worked as an athletics coach at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).

Personal Bests: 400 – 45.6 (1987); 800 – 1:43.16 (1989).