View source for William Tanui

{{Short description|Kenyan athlete (born 1964)}}
{{distinguish|William Biwott Tanui}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name        = William Tanui
| image       =
| caption     =
| nationality = Kenyan
| sport       = [[Sport of athletics|Athletics]]
| event       = middle-distance
| club        = 
| birth_date  = 22 February 1964
| birth_place = Kemeloi, Nandi, Kenya
| death_date  = 
| death_place = 
| height      =183 cm
| weight      = 70 kg
| medaltemplates=
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Athletics (sport)|Athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{KEN}} }}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{MedalGold|[[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona]]|[[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Men's 800 metres|800 metres]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[All-Africa Games]]}}
{{MedalGold |[[1991 All-Africa Games|1991 Cairo]]|[[Athletics at the 1991 All-Africa Games|800 metres]]}}
}}

'''William Kiptarus Tanui''' (born 22 February 1964) is a Kenyan former [[Athletics (sport)|athlete]], winner of 800 m at the [[1992 Summer Olympics]].

==Biography==
Born in Terik Location of [[South Nandi District]], William Tanui first came to notice relatively late in life, when he won the 1500 m at the Kenyan [[Commonwealth Games]] trials in 1989, but ran only sixth at the [[1990 Commonwealth Games]] in [[Auckland]], New Zealand. In the same year he won the 800 m at the African Championships in [[Cairo]]. In the World Indoor Championships at [[Seville]] in 1991, Tanui crossed the line first, but was disqualified for breaking from his lane too early. He won 800 metres in the [[Athletics at the 1991 All-Africa Games|1991 All-Africa Games]].

Tanui's greatest moment came at the [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Olympic Games]] in [[Barcelona]]. In the 800 m final he stormed down the outside, actually finishing in lane 3, to narrowly beat a fellow countryman [[Nixon Kiprotich]] for the gold medal. Tanui was unable to repeat this form in his only appearance at a [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]], at [[Stuttgart]] in 1993, finishing seventh.

He finished 2nd at the [[IAAF World Cup]] 800 metres race in 1992 and 1994.<ref>gbrathletics.com: [http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/wp.htm IAAF WORLD CUP IN ATHLETICS]</ref>

Tanui concentrated more on the 1500 m in the latter part of his career, and he finished fifth at that distance in the [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Olympic Games]] in [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]]. At the World Indoor Championships, Tanui finished third in the 1500 m at [[Paris]] in 1997, and fourth at [[Maebashi, Gunma|Maebashi]] in 1999.

Tanui the British [[AAA Championships]] title in the 800 metres event at the [[1990 AAA Championships]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (men) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{World Athletics}}
* {{Olympics.com}}
* {{Olympedia}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 800 m Men}}
{{Footer African Champions men's 800 metres}}
{{Footer All-Africa Champions 800 m Men}}
{{Footer US NC Indoor Mile Men}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanui, William}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Doping cases in the sport of athletics]]
[[Category:Kenyan sportspeople in doping cases]]
[[Category:Kenyan men middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Kenya]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Kenya]]
[[Category:World record holders in masters athletics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:African Games gold medalists for Kenya]]
[[Category:African Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:African Games athletes for Kenya]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1991 All-Africa Games]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for Kenya]]
[[Category:20th-century Kenyan sportsmen]]