Komen first appeared in the senior ranks in 1994 when he won a place on Kenya's 10,000 m team for the
1994 Commonwealth Games, placing ninth. The next year, at the Golden Gala meet in Rome, Komen set the world junior record in the 5,000m with a time of 12:56.15, helping pace
Moses Kiptanui to a world record in the process. In 1996, Komen began to dominate the 5,000 m. His first mile was faster than
Roger Bannister's first-ever sub-four, while his second equalled it. In August 1997 he broke the 5000 m world record and took two seconds off of Haile Gebrselassie's best to bring it to 12:39.74. Only twelve days after the previous world record of 7:26.15 was set by Haile Gebrselassie, Komen broke the indoor 3,000-metre record with a time of 7:24.90, set in
Budapest on 6 February 1998. This mark was referred to as "
Mount Everest" in
athletics circles and had been bettered only twice outdoors, one of them being Komen's own world record.
Kenenisa Bekele believed that breaking Komen's record was only "possible on a special day if the pace is good and if everything else also is perfect." This mark, having stood for more than 25 years, was bettered on February 15, 2023 by Ethiopia's
Lamecha Girma with a time of 7:23.81 in the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Lievin. Spain's
Mohamed Katir also went under Komen's previous record with a time of 7:24.68. Other accolades include being the
1997 World Championships in Athletics and
1998 Commonwealth Games 5,000-meter champion. He won the 5000 metres race at the
1998 IAAF World Cup. Out of the limelight since the late 1990s, Komen now serves as chairman of the Keiyo North Rift Athletics Association and as co-director of a private school with his wife, Joyce. ==Achievements==