Abubaker Kaki Khamis
A Sudanese middle-distance prodigy who burst onto the global scene as a teenager, dominating the indoor 800 meters with his explosive front-running style.
Born 1989 (age 37)·Sudanese runner·Birthday: June 21·Millennials
Biography
Abubaker Kaki Khamis announced himself with the force of a desert storm. As a raw 18-year-old in 2008, the Sudanese runner shocked the athletics world by smashing the world indoor 800-meter record, becoming the youngest person ever to hold a world record in the event. His strategy was brutally simple: go to the front and dare anyone to keep up. This approach earned him back-to-back World Indoor Championship golds in 2008 and 2010, where his blistering pace from the gun left seasoned veterans scrambling. Hailing from the Messiria community, Kaki carried the hopes of a nation with rare grace. While injuries and the challenges of translating indoor success to the outdoor circuit later hampered his career, his early years remain a dazzling flash of talent that put Sudanese athletics firmly on the map.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Abubaker was born in 1989, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Abubaker Was Born
The biggest hits of 1989
#1 Movie
Batman
Best Picture
Driving Miss Daisy
#1 TV Show
Roseanne
Abubaker's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1989Born
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1994Started school
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2002Became a teenager
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2005Could drive
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2007Could vote
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2010Turned 21
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2019Turned 30
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 37 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the youngest ever world record holder in the 800 meters, setting the indoor mark at age 18 in 2008.
- Won the 800m gold medal at the World Indoor Championships twice, in 2008 and 2010.
- Secured a gold medal in the 800 meters at the 2007 All-Africa Games in Algiers.
Did You Know?
He set his first world indoor record (1:44.81) in Stockholm in 2008, breaking a record that had stood for nearly a decade.
He is a member of the Messiria, a nomadic Arab ethnic group primarily based in Sudan and Chad.
He was just 17 years old when he won his first major international title at the All-Africa Games.
“From the gun, I run. The race is won in the first two hundred meters.”
