| Intro | Kenyan middle-distance runner |
| A.K.A. | Eunice Sum |
| Is |
Runner Athlete Middle-distance runner |
| From | Kenya |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | female |
| Birth |
10 April 1988, Uasin Gishu District |
| Age | 32 years |
Eunice Jepkoech Sum (born 10 April 1988) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner. She is the current African and Commonwealth Games champion in the 800 metres. She was also world champion in the same discipline.
Career
Sum was born in the village of Kesses in Uasin Gishu County in the former Rift Valley Province and competed in the heptathlon and handball at school. She gave birth to a daughter Diana Jeruto in 2008 and only began a full-time athletics career in 2009 after being spotted competing in a heptathlon event by former 800 metres world champion Janeth Jepkosgei. At Jepkosgei’s invitation, Sum moved to Eldoret to train with Jepkosgei’s group.
She made her international championship début in the 800 metres at the 2010 African Championships in Athletics in Nairobi, but failed to make the final. In 2011, Sum set a personal best time of 1:59.66 in finishing second over 800 m at the Kenyan championships. This performance qualified Sum for the 800 m at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea, where she reached the semi finals.
Sum won a silver medal – her first medal in international competition – in the 800 m at the 2012 African Championships in Athletics in Porto-Novo, Benin. She ran a personal best of 1:59.13 in the final, finishing two hundredths of a second behind Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba. Sum then competed in the 1500 m at the Olympics, but finished a disappointing 10th in her heat and failed to qualify for the semi finals.
Sum progressed to the highest ranks of international competition in 2013, reaching her first global final and defeating Olympic champion and home favourite Mariya Savinova to win a surprise 800 m gold in a personal best time of 1:57.38 at the world championships in Moscow. The Kenyan defeated Savinova again at the Weltklasse Zürich to add the 2013 IAAF Diamond League crown in 800 m to her world title.
Personal life
Sum is the first cousin of Alfred Kirwa Yego, the 2007 world champion in 800 metres. She is a fan of Chelsea FC.
Competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Kenya | |||||
| 2010 | African Championships | Nairobi, Kenya | 9th (h) | 800 m | 2:08.71 |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 13th (sf) | 800 m | 1:59.94 |
| 2012 | African Championships | Porto Novo, Benin | 2nd | 800 m | 1:59.13 |
| Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 38th (h) | 1500 m | 4:16.95 | |
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 1st | 800 m | 1:57.38 |
| 2014 | IAAF World Relays | Nassau, Bahamas | 2nd | 4 × 800 m relay | 8:04.28 |
| Commonwealth Games | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 1st | 800 m | 2:00.31 | |
| African Championships | Marrakech, Morocco | 1st | 800 m | 1:59.45 | |
| 2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 3rd | 800 m | 1:58.18 |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 19th (sf) | 800 m | 2:00.88 |