Eunice Kirwa

Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa, born on 20 May 1984, is a Kenyan-born Bahraini long-distance runner who focuses on marathon running. In 2013, she began representing Bahrain, and she holds the Bahraini record for the marathon with a time of 2:21:17, which she set in 2017 at the Nagoya Women's Marathon. She earned a silver medal in the marathon at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

At the beginning of her career, Kirwa represented Kenya at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics in the 1,500 metres event. She later switched to road running and advanced to compete in marathons by 2012. Her husband, Joshua Kiprugut Kemei, is also a long-distance runner, and they have a son together.

In May 2019, Kirwa was suspended after not passing a doping test.

Career

Eunice Kirwa started running for Kenya when she was fifteen years old. She competed in races like the 1,500 metres and the steeplechase but didn’t achieve major successes on the track. Around 2006, she switched to running on roads and began competing in places like North America. She had good results in races such as the 10K run and half marathons.

In her late twenties, Kirwa became one of the world's best road runners. She ran her first full marathon in 2012 and finished second in the Amsterdam Marathon with a very fast time. In 2013, she began representing Bahrain. She won gold in the marathon at the 2014 Asian Games, making her Bahrain’s first ever winner in that event.

Unfortunately, in 2019, Kirwa was suspended after testing positive for a banned substance. She was the second Olympic marathon medalist from the 2016 games to face this issue.

1999 World Youth Championships in Athletics 1,500 metres Sylvia Kibet 2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics steeplechase North Rift Kenyan Athletics Championships road running 10K run marathon Asunción Amsterdam Marathon Meseret Hailu Xiamen Marathon Fatuma Sado Paris Marathon Lisbon Edna Kiplagat Gifu Mestawet Tufa Frankfurt Marathon transferred her eligibility 2014 Boston Marathon 2014 Asian Games Ryoko Kizaki Erythropoietin Jemima Sumgong

International competitions

Eunice Kirwa is a long-distance runner from Kenya who now competes for Bahrain. She is known for running marathons and holds the Bahraini record with a time of 2 hours, 21 minutes, and 17 seconds, which she achieved in 2017. She won a silver medal in the marathon at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.