Eunice Sum

Eunice Jepkoech Sum (born 10 April 1988) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. She was the 2013 World champion and won the bronze medal in 2015. Sum took a silver and a gold at the 2012 and 2014 African Championships in Athletics respectively. She was also 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist and a three-time successive Diamond League winner in 2013–15.

Eunice Sum
Sum at the 2016 Rio Olympics
Personal information
Born10 April 1988 (1988-04-10) (age 35)
Kesses, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
Height170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight54 kg (119 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryKenya
SportAthletics
Event(s)Middle-distance running
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Kenya
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2013 Moscow800 m
Bronze medal – third place2015 Beijing800 m
Diamond League
First place2013800 m
First place2014800 m
First place2015800 m
African Championships
Gold medal – first place2014 Marrakech800 m
Silver medal – second place2012 Porto Novo800 m
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place2014 Glasgow800 m
Continental Cup
Representing Africa
Gold medal – first place2014 Marrakesh800 m

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 her invitation, Sum moved to Eldoret to train with Jepkosgei's group.[2][3]

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 event at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea, where she reached the semi-finals.[3]

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.[4] Sum then competed in the 1500 m at the London Olympics, but finished a disappointing 10th in her heat and failed to qualify for the semi-finals.[3]

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.[5] The Kenyan defeated Savinova again at the Weltklasse Zürich meeting to add the 2013 Diamond League crown in the 800 m to her world title.[6] She won the 800 m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.[7]

Personal life

Sum is the first cousin of Alfred Kirwa Yego, the 2007 world champion in the 800 metres.[2] She is a fan of Chelsea FC.[3]

Achievements

International competitions
Representing  Kenya
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
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 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 Marrakesh, Morocco 1st 800 m 1:59.45
Continental Cup Marrakesh, Morocco 1st 800 m 1:58.21
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
2018 African Championships Asaba, Nigeria 9th (h) 800 m 2:03.38
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 5th 800 m 1:59.71
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 34th (h) 800 m 2:03.00

Circuit wins and titles, National championships
800 metres wins, other events specified in parentheses

Personal bests

References
  1. Eunice Jepkoech Sum Archived 26 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine. rio2016.com
  2. Sum rolls to Daegu under Jepkosgei's wing. Capital FM. 3 August 2011. (Retrieved on 2014-08-25).
  3. Sub two zero sum game. IAAF. 13 May 2014. (Retrieved on 2014-08-25).
  4. Watta, Evelyn. Burundian teen Niyonsaba takes dramatic 800m title as Nigeria top medal table in Porto Novo. IAAF. 2 July 2012. (Retrieved on 2014-08-25).
  5. Landells, Steve. Report: Women's 800m final – Moscow 2013. IAAF. 18 August 2013. (Retrieved on 2014-08-25).
  6. Whittington, Jessica. Diamond League titles decided in Zurich Archived 26 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Athletics Weekly. 29 August 2013. (Retrieved on 2014-08-25).
  7. "Glasgow 2014 - Eunice jepkoech Sum Profile". g2014results.thecgf.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 July 2017.
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