Kenyan distance runner Doris Lemngole has officially turned professional, signing a contract with Swiss sportswear brand On after representing the brand under a previous NIL agreement at the University of Alabama. The move takes her onto On's global roster of professional athletes following one of the most decorated collegiate careers in NCAA distance running history.
At Alabama, Lemngole won back-to-back NCAA Cross Country Championship titles in 2024 and 2025, her second victory producing a course record of 18:25.4, the fastest winning time in NCAA cross-country history. She added the 2025 NCAA Indoor 5000m title and consecutive Outdoor NCAA 3000m Steeplechase Championships in 2024 and 2025, lowering the collegiate steeplechase record to 8:58.15.
In 2025, Lemngole became the first athlete from Alabama and the first Kenyan to win The Bowerman, the highest individual honour in US collegiate track and field. She was also named USTFCCCA Lance Harter Collegiate National Athlete of the Year.
Lemngole made her Diamond League debut in style while still a student-athlete, winning the 3000m steeplechase at the Athletissima meeting in Lausanne. She went on to finish fifth in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, representing Kenya at the senior global level."Doris has been a spectacular ambassador for On, and her transition to our professional roster is a proud moment for the brand," said Niklas Buehner, Head of Athletics at On. "Watching her dominate the collegiate ranks, rewrite record books, and immediately challenge the best in the world at the Diamond League and World Championships made it a natural decision to offer Doris a professional contract."
