Yator grew up in Kendur, a small village in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, and attended St Peters Marakwet Boys High School.
[1] He began to train with high level runners Reuben Kosgei, Bernard Barmasai and Patrick Sang.
However, he was unable to match this form at neither the 2001 IAAF Grand Prix Final, 2001 World Championships in Athletics, where he was eighth in 8:20.87,[6] nor the 2001 Goodwill Games, where he was seventh in 8:27.19 minutes.
Ten years later he expressed an interest to return to running, with a focus on the half marathon, though he lacked the facilities and support network to restart his career.
[1] His younger brother Albert Yator followed in his footsteps and won a world junior steeplechase medal in 2010, but died of malaria in 2011 before getting the chance to explore a senior career.