Philip William Sesemann (born 3 October 1992) is a British long-distance runner.[1] Sesemann was the first British finisher at the 2021 London Marathon in his marathon debut, clocking 2:12:58 to finish in 7th place.[2][3]

Philip Sesemann
Personal information
Birth namePhilip William Sesemann
Born (1992-10-03) 3 October 1992 (age 32)
London, England
Alma materUniversity of Leeds
Sport
CountryUnited Kingdom
SportAthletics
EventLong-distance running
ClubLeeds City Athletics Club

Early life and education

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Sesemann is originally from Bromley, Greater London, where he was a member of Blackheath and Bromley. He studied Medicine at the University of Leeds, graduating in 2017.[4] He has since been a junior doctor at St James's University Hospital.[5]

Athletics career

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Track career

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From 2010 to 2020, Sesemann mostly competed in track events ranging from 800m to 5000m.[6] Sesemann was famous throughout the athletics community for starting a track season in strong form and frequently falling apart and fading out by August, resulting in lackluster performances. Notable occasions were both at the Woodside stadium in Watford, where in 2017 he finished last over 1500m in a time of 3.57.27 [7] and second last over the same distance in 2018 with a time of 3.51.17 [8] In 2021, Sesemann represented Great Britain at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, placing 5th in his heat of the 3000m, but not qualifying for the final.

Road Transition

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On 3 April 2021, he raced the Podium 5k in Barrowford, UK, where he placed 2nd in 13:40, one second behind Tom Mortimer.[9] On 22 August, he made his half marathon debut at The Big Half in London, placing 4th in 1:02:47. The race was won by Jake Smith.[10] On 19 September, Sesemann won the Trafford 10k in Manchester in 29:29.

Sesemann made his marathon debut at the 2021 London Marathon, where he placed 7th in 2:12:58.[2][3] He was 10th in the 2022 iteration, in a time of 2:12:10,[1] and 8th in the 2023 race, where his time of 2:10:23 made him the second British finisher, behind training partner Emile Cairess, after out-kicking Mo Farah in the final 400m.[11]

He achieved the qualifying time for the 2024 Summer Olympics marathon with 2:08:04 in Seville on February 18, 2024, and was subsequently named in the Great Britain team for the Games in Paris.[12][13] In the marathon he finished in 46th place with a time of 2:13:08.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Phil Sesemann leads Great Britain into seventh place at European Championships marathon". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b "'The London Marathon is back': junior doctor stars as masses return to streets". The Guardian. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b Virgin Money London Marathon 2021: Results. (2021, October 3). Virgin Money London Marathon. https://results.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/2021/?pid=leaderboard&pidp=leaderboard#
  4. ^ "Leeds athletes going for gold". University of Leeds. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  5. ^ Henderson, Jason (18 April 2023). "Phil Sesemann: "Running around London Marathon is so much fun"". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Philip SESEMANN | Profile | World Athletics". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Results". thepowerof10.info. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Results". thepowerof10.info. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  9. ^ "UKresults and UKtimers - Race Results Service - Results for Podium 5k Races Combined Results, Barrowford, Lancashire held on 3rd April 2021". www.ukresults.net. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  10. ^ Results: The Vitality Big Half 2021. (2021, August 22). Watch Athletics. https://www.watchathletics.com/page/2570/results-the-vitality-big-half-2021
  11. ^ "London Marathon 2023 Results | Watch Athletics". www.watchathletics.com. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Paris Olympics 2024: Charlotte Purdue, Calli Hauger-Thackery & Phil Sesemann named as Team GB's first three marathon athletes". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Purdue, Hauger-Thackery and Sesemann to make Olympic debuts". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 19 July 2024.