Edwin Cheruiyot Soi (born 3 March 1986) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in the 3000 and 5000 metres. He is a two-time Olympian for Kenya.
His earliest honours were team gold medals with Kenya at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2006 and 2007. Soi has had his success on the track – he was the 5000 m bronze medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was highly successful at the IAAF World Athletics Final, taking three gold and three silver medals from 2006 to 2008. He became the continental champion on the track at the 2010 African Championships in Athletics and was the 3000 m bronze medallist at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
Soi has won numerous 10K road races in his career; he has won three times consecutively at the BOclassic, Memorial Peppe Greco and Giro Media Blenio races, and has had four straight wins at the Giro al Sas. His personal best for the distance is 27:46 minutes.
Career
Early races
Soi had his first running successes when undertaking a tour of races in Spain in 2004. He won the Cursa Bombers 10K in Barcelona and won a second 10K race in Madrid that November. His first opportunity to represent Kenya internationally came in 2006, as he gained selection for the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships with a fourth-place finish at the national short cross country race. He finished in eighth place in the short race and helped Kenya to the team gold medal, alongside Isaac Kiprono Songok, Benjamin Limo and Augustine Kiprono Choge.
The 2006 season also brought him further success on the road circuit as he won both the Giro Media Blenio and the 10 km du Conseil Général 13 in Marseille, setting a career best time of 27:46 minutes at the latter race. He took part on the Golden League circuit for the first time that year and marked himself out as one of the top runners over 3000 and 5000 metres – he was second to Kenenisa Bekele at the Meeting Gaz de France with a 5000 m best time of 12:52.40 and won at the Athletissima meet. He capped of his track season with two silver medals at the 2006 IAAF World Athletics Final, beaten to the gold medals by brothers Kenenisa and Tariku Bekele.
The 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in Mombasa and, after a win at the Cross Ouest France, he earned selection for the national team. In a Kenyan-dominated race, Soi took ninth place with five of his compatriots finishing ahead of him. He retained both his 10K titles at the Giro Media Blenio and in Marseille. After a number of top three finishes on the track circuit, he hoped to qualify for the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. A fourth place at the trials saw him narrowly miss out on selection, although his track season had a successful culmination with a 3000/5000 m double at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Final. This made him the first Kenyan to win both events at the competition. He ran at a New Year's Eve race in Bolzano, the BOclassic, and took the victory in the 10K race.
Olympic medal
After running an indoor 3000 m personal best of 7:36.70 in Valencia, Soi was chosen to compete in the event at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Despite being the fastest qualifier for the final, he slipped behind the leaders and finished in fourth place. He won his first Olympic medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He failed to build upon his Olympic success at the 2009 World Championships as he was ill-prepared for the Kenyan Trials and missed out on a place in the Kenyan team. In September 2009, he won his second Memorial Peppe Greco in Scicli – an achievement only matched by Haile Gebrselassie and Martin Lel.