Sheila Chepkirui Kiprotich (born 27 December 1990) is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner who competed at first in the 1500 metres and 5000 metres. She won the 2024 New York City Marathon and the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Chepkirui was the 5000 m 2016 African champion, setting the championship record.
In September 2022, she was fourth in the 10 km road race on the world all-time list.
Career In her youth, Sheila Chepkirui competed in age category competitions. She defeated Yuriko Kobayashi over 1500 m at the 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics to claim her first international gold medal. Her finishing time of in a 4:12.29 minutes was a championship record.Event Report - Girls' 1500 metres Final. IAAF (2005-07-15). Retrieved on 2016-07-02. She returned to defend her title two years later, but ended up as bronze medallist at the 2007 event.Girls 1500m Final. IAAF (2007-07-13). Retrieved on 2016-07-02. She failed to improve at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics and did not get past the heats. She dropped out of the sport after that year.Sheila Chepkirui Kiprotich. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-07-02.
Chepkirui joined up with Kenya Defence Forces and began competing at their track competitions again around 2012.Mutuota, Mutwiri (2012-05-12). Obiri polishes off opponents in Nairobi. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-07-02. She returned to top-level competition in late 2015. Good performances at national cross country running meets culminated in her finishing third at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships.Mills, Steven (2016-01-31). Karoki dominates proceedings in Eldoret – cross-country round-up. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-07-02.Mills, Steven (2015-12-20). McCormack finally claims elusive win in Brussels – cross-country round-up. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-07-02.Mutuota, Mutwiri (2016-02-13). Kamworor and Aprot win at penultimate IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting in Nairobi. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-07-02. She was chosen for the 2016 African Cross Country Championships and in her senior debut she took the silver medal as part of a Kenyan podium sweep with Alice Aprot and Beatrice Mutai.Kenya rules at African Cross Country Championships. IAAF (2016-03-12). Retrieved on 2016-07-02. Later that year she won the 5000 m at the Kenyan Athletics Championships, and won her first senior title competing in the event at the 2016 African Championships in Athletics, setting a championship record of 15:05.45 minutes.Botton, Wesley (2016-06-23). Sprint double for Ivory Coast but hosts South Africa dominate at African Championships. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-07-02.Sheila Chepkirui. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2016-07-02.
In September 2022, she came close to the women-only 10 kilometres world record at the Brașov Running Festival in Brașov, Romania. With her time of 30:07 Chepkirui, who set her 29:46 personal best in a mixed race in Valencia in 2020, broke the Romanian all-comers's record by more than two minutes, and was only six seconds off the women-only world record.
In November 2024, Chepkirui won the New York City Marathon's women's race, securing her first major marathon title with a time of 2:24:35.
International competitions 2005World Youth ChampionshipsMarrakesh, Morocco1st1500 m4:12.292007World Youth ChampionshipsOstrava, Czech Republic3rd1500 m4:19.262008World Junior ChampionshipsBydgoszcz, Poland15th (h)1500 m4:24.212016African Cross Country ChampionshipsYaoundé, Cameroon2ndSenior race30:441stSenior team11 ptsAfrican ChampionshipsDurban, South Africa1st5000 m15:05.45 2017World ChampionshipsLondon, United Kingdom7th5000 m14:54.052022World ChampionshipsEugene, United States–10,000 mDNSCommonwealth GamesBirmingham, United Kingdom3rd10,000 m31:09.462023London MarathonLondon, United Kingdom4thMarathon2:18:51Berlin MarathonBerlin, Germany2ndMarathon2:17:492024London MarathonLondon, United Kingdom6thMarathon2:19:31New York City MarathonNew York City, United States1stMarathon2:24:352025New York City MarathonNew York City, United States3rdMarathon2:20:24
National titles Kenyan Athletics Championships 5000 metres: 2016, 2019
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