With a personal best of 1:41.11, Kipketer is tied with Emmanuel Wanyonyi as the second fastest of all time over the 800 meter distance, behind David Rudisha.

He dominated the 800 m distance for a decade, remaining undefeated for a three-year period and running 8 of the 17 currently all-time fastest times.

Keino suggested Kipketer attend the Catholic St. Patrick's High School in Iten that was famous for bringing up young runners.

Unlike Kipketer, Rudisha did not attend St. Patrick's, rather he went to a neighboring St. Francis, Kimuron Secondary School in Iten, Keiyo District.

Despite not participating in the Olympics, Track & Field News magazine ranked him number one in the world in the 800 meters for 1996.

In fact, he broke the indoor world record time in the heats by nearly a second, beating Paul Ereng's WR 1:44.84 with his 1:43.96.

On 7 July he tied Sebastian Coe's world record (1:41.73) for the 800 metres at a meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.

Eleven days later, on 24 August, he improved the world record to 1:41.11 at the Grand Prix meet in Cologne, Germany.

At the European Championships in Budapest but made physical contact with the eventual winner Nils Schumann on the final straight and did not win a medal.

As in 1997, Kipketer was undefeated in 1999, winning all 10 outdoor races and finishing the year ranked number one in the world in the 800m by Track & Field News magazine.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Kipketer took silver, finishing 0.06 behind Nils Schumann in a tactical, closely contested 800 metres race.

He ended his career with a remarkable record of fast 800 meter times: except for 2001, he ran 1:43 or better every year from 1994 to 2004.