Pamela Jelimo was like a Supernova, a star that burned very brilliantly for a very short period then quickly ran out of fuel. At the age of 19, Jelimo was dominant in the 800m, winning races by large margins. In her first full season, she ran the second fastest time ever in the 800m. She appeared destined to dominate the event for years to come and many saw her as a prime candidate to break one of the longest lasting world records. Unfortunately she had only one brilliant season (2008), before an injury, marital troubles and a loss of motivation took a toll on her career.
After a solid record as a Junior, Jelimo burst onto the international scene in 2008, winning every race in the Diamond League. At the Zurich meet, she set a personal best of 1:54:01
Pamela Jelimo thoroughly dominated the 2008 Diamond League season which culminated in being awarded the Gold Bar worth $1 million
At the 2008 Olympics, Jelimo became the first Kenyan to win Olympic Gold in the womens 800m, leading a Kenya 1-2 with Janeth Jepkosgei taking silver
On the 2008 Olympic medal podium with Janeth Jepkosgei and Hasna Benhassi of Morocco
After missing most of the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons with injuries and lost motivation, Jelimo returned for the 2012 Olympics. Gone was her blistering pace and endurance and she ended up finishing fourth behind Maria Savinova of Russia, Caster Semenya of South Africa and Ekaterina Poistgova of Russia
In 2022, 10 years after the race, Pamela Jelimo was awarded the bronze medal for the womens 800m at the 2012 Olympics, after Mariya Savinova was disqualified for being part of Russia’s state sponsored doping program
Jelimo seen here at a track meet in Nairobi. Having retired from Athletics in 2014, Jelimo focused on her job as a Police College Instructor and motherhood. She has three children
