Bat-Ochiryn Ser-Od

In this Mongolian name, the given name is Ser-Od. Bat-Ochiryn is a patronymic, not a family name.

Bat-Ochiryn "Ziggy" Ser-Od^[1] (Mongolian: Бат-Очирын Сэр-Од, born 7 October 1981 in Gobi-Altai province) is a Mongolian long-distance runner, particularly the marathon. He represented his country in the marathon at five Summer Olympics, in 2004, 2008, 2012 (where he also was flagbearer), 2016 and 2021. A member of the Morpeth Harriers running club, he divides his time between his native country and Gateshead in England.

Bat-Ochiryn Ser-Od

Bat-Ochiryn Ser-Od (#32) at the 2015 Lake Biwa Marathon
Personal information
Native name	Бат-Очир Сэр-Од
Nationality	Mongolian
Born	(1981-10-07) 7 October 1981 (age 42) Mongolia, Govi-Altai
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	60 kg (130 lb)
Sport
Country	Mongolia
Sport	Athletics
Event	Marathon
Achievements and titles
Regional finals	4th (2014)
Medal record Men's Marathon Representing  Mongolia Asian Championships 2013 Hong Kong Marathon 2008 Hong Kong Marathon East Asian Games 2013 Tianjin 5000 m Osaka Marathon 2013 Osaka Marathon Beppu-Oita Marathon 2013 Beppu–Oita Marathon Lake Biwa Marathon 2015 Otsu Marathon Fukuoka Marathon 2014 Fukuoka Marathon

Ser-od began his international career in 2002 and has competed in the marathon at ten consecutive editions of the World Championships in Athletics since 2003. His best performance is 20th at the 2011 World Championships. He is Mongolia's first ever elite level marathon runner and his personal best of 2:08:50 is the Mongolian national record. He was the 2013 Asian Marathon Champion and also won the Brighton Marathon and Hofu Yomiuri Marathon in 2010. Other career highlights include top ten finishes at the Berlin Marathon and London Marathon.

Career

Early competition

Ser-Od began participating in long-distance events in 2002.^[2] He made his international debut at the 2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and stepped up a distance to the marathon at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics, where he came 63rd with a personal best of 2:26:39 hours.^[3] He was twelfth at the 2004 Hong Kong Marathon, the third Asian to finish in a largely African field.^[4] He made his Olympic debut that year at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He was just one of two Mongolians to compete in the athletics competition, alongside women's marathoner Luvsanlkhündegiin Otgonbayar. Ser-Od came 75th overall with a time of 2:33:24 hours, some twenty minutes behind the winner.^[3][5]

He ran his 2005 season's best in Ulaanbaatar in June before the 2005 World Championships, where he improved upon his previous placing by coming in 61st. He set a half marathon best of 1:08:12 in October, representing his country at the 2005 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.^[3] With no world-level marathon events scheduled in 2006, he focused on Asian competition. He showed significant improvement at the Asian Marathon Championship, incorporated into that year's Beijing Marathon, as he was the sixth best Asian and knocked over six minutes off his best time, recording 2:20:13 hours.^[6] He did not perform as well at the 2006 Asian Games, however, as he came seventeenth in the Games marathon.^[7] He remained in East Asia in 2007, coming 55th at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka before making another large improvement at the Beijing Marathon, where he completed the distance in a time of 2:16:22 hours.^[3]

2008-2009: National records and move to Gateshead

He lined up for the Asian Marathon Championship race at the 2008 Hong Kong Marathon and demonstrated his progression by coming runner-up in the Asian category behind race winner Koichiro Fukuoka and taking fifth place in the international field.^[8] At the Good Luck Beijing Marathon, a test event for the 2008 Summer Olympics, he cut two more minutes off his best to defeat all opposition and win the race in a Mongolian record time of 2:14:15 hours.^[9] He did not repeat this form at the Olympic marathon race in August, but his time and placing (52nd in 2:24:19) were his best performances yet on the international stage.^[3] His final race of the year came at December's Hofu Yomiuri Marathon, but his fast starting pace saw him drift back into sixth by the finish.^[10]

His training in Mongolia was interrupted by the cold winter and, in April 2009, he travelled to Gateshead, United Kingdom to visit family. While there he came to an agreement with Morpeth Harriers, a local running club, to begin training with them.^[1][2] Ser-Od trained on a running track for the first time at the Gateshead International Stadium and said that the area's 10 km competitions were of particular benefit, given the rarity of races over that distance in East Asia.^[11] Reflecting on the change, he said: "To train [in Mongolia] you have to wear too many clothes, maybe four layers. Running is really hard then. In England it is different."^[12] He ran in a series of British races from April to August, building towards the upcoming 2009 World Championships in Berlin.^[1] He won 10K races in North Shields, Newton Aycliffe and Morpeth, as well as placing top three in half marathons in Redcar and Mansfield. A 10K best of 30:08 minutes came at Gateshead's Great North 10K, where he was seventh.^[13] The change of location resulted in a rise in the rankings in the World Championships Marathon in Berlin, as he finished in the top thirty for the first time, completing the course in 2:17:22 hours.^[3] He was selected to run on the track at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships and he came twelfth in the 5000 metres (14:47.01 minutes) and set a track best of 29:43.79 minutes for ninth place in the 10,000 metres.^[14] His best marathon time of the year came at the Hofu Yomiuri Marathon, where he was the best non-Japanese, finishing seventh in 2:17:19 hours.^[15]

2010-2011: London and Berlin Marathons

He was highly active in the marathon in 2010: he was third at the Hong Kong Marathon in February,^[16] and came fifth at the Zhengzhou Marathon with a time of 2:17:01 hours in March. He was initially invited to the 2010 London Marathon in April, but the organisers rescinded their invitation upon discovering he had run the full distance just three weeks before the event. Having already arrived in England, he sought out a place at the inaugural Brighton Marathon instead and won the competition by a five-minute margin.^[11] He received an invitation for the 2010 Berlin Marathon and performed well in his first World Marathon Majors event, finishing in tenth place with a time of 2:12:42 – a new national record.^[17] In his fifth outing over the distance that year, he won the Hofu Yomiuri Marathon, succeeding on his third attempt in a time of 2:14:49 (the third best performance of his career).^[3][18] Ser-od's 2011 season started at the Northern 12-Stage Road Relay, where he led off the Morpeth Harriers team which went on to take the title.^[19] The 2011 London Marathon was his first major race of the year and he again had a top ten placing, taking ninth place in 2:11:35 hours to improve his best time a minute further.^[20] He finished in the top ten of both the 5000 m and 10,000 m at the 2011 Asian Athletics Championships, then went on to have his best global marathon finish at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, finishing in 20th place.^[21] Two months later, he came sixth at the Beijing Marathon.^[22] In 2011 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon in Japan he defended his title as winner running for 2:11:56 hours improving his time by 2 minutes and 53 seconds than the previous year.^[23]

2012 Olympic Games

He was runner-up in his first race of 2012 Beppu-Oita Marathon, setting a new best of 2:11:05 behind Harun Njoroge.^[24] He ran within the course record time at the Brighton Marathon, but finished fourth in a fast race.^[25] He represented his country at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and finished in 51st position in the marathon. He was also selected as national flag bearer in the opening ceremony.^[26] Ser-Od ended the year with a win at the Osaka Marathon in a course record time of 2:11:52.^[27]

After 2012

His first outings of 2013 did not bode well: he was 18th at the Beppu-Oita Marathon, 15th at the Hong Kong Marathon, and eleventh at the Daegu Marathon. In spite of this, he performed reasonably well at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics, coming in 35th place.^[28] At the 2013 East Asian Games he was the silver medallist in the 5000 m.^[29] His best marathon outing followed later that month as he was second at the Osaka Marathon in 2:13:31 hours.^[30]

A good result for Ser-Od came at the 2014 Asian Games, where he placed 4th in the men's marathon, running the distance in 2:13:21.

Just months later, Ser-Od built on his Asian Games success with his personal-best and national-record time of 2:08:50, at the Fukuoka Marathon in December 2014.^[31]

Ser-Od participated in both the 2015 World Championships in Athletics held in Beijing and the 2017 World Championships in Athletics held in London, placing respectively 38th and 48th in the marathon events.^[32][33]

Ser-Od participated in the 2019 World Championships in Athletics in Doha, Qatar where he finished 54th in 2:36:01 in the men's marathon. In 2020 he contested 1 marathon, placing 24th in 2:16:15 at the Fukuoka Marathon. On the track Ser-Od set Mongolian national records in both the 5000m and 10000m in 14:16.48 and 29:17.72 respectively. In 2021 Ser-Od ran The 76th Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon in Japan, where he finished 33rd in a time of 2:09:26. This was Ser-Od's third-fastest marathon performance and it qualified him for his 5th Olympic Games.^[34] Ser-Od Bat-Ochir is competed in the men's marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in August 2021, where he did not finish, after battling an illness.^[35] In 2022 Ser-Od participated in the 2022 World Championships in Athletics in Eugene, Oregon. This was his tenth appearance in a marathon at a World Championship and he finished all these races.

Statistics

International competition

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing   Mongolia
2002	World Half Marathon Championships	Brussels, Belgium	96th	Half marathon	1:09:54
2003	World Championships	Paris, France	63rd	Marathon	2:26:39
2004	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	75th	Marathon	2:33:24
2005	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	61st	Marathon	2:36:31
	World Half Marathon Championships	Edmonton, Canada	56th	Half marathon	1:08:12
2006	Asian Games	Doha, Qatar	17th	Marathon	2:31:00
2007	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	55th	Marathon	2:49:06
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	52nd	Marathon	2:24:19
	Asian Marathon Championships	Hong Kong, China	2nd	Marathon	2:20:18
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	29th	Marathon	2:17:22
	Asian Championships	Guangzhou, China	12th	5000 m	14:47.01
			9th	10,000 m	29:43.79
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	20th	Marathon	2:16:41
2012	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	51st	Marathon	2:20:10
2013	Asian Marathon Championships	Hong Kong, China	1st	Marathon	2:17:56
	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	36th	Marathon	2:21:55
	East Asian Games	Tianjin, China	2nd	5000 m	14:28.24
2014	Asian Games	Incheon, South Korea	4th	Marathon	2:13:21
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	38th	Marathon	2:32:09
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	91st	Marathon	2:24:26
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	48th	Marathon	2:21:55
2018	Asian Games	Jakarta, Indonesia	5th	Marathon	2:23:42
2019	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	54th	Marathon	2:36:01
2021	Olympic Games	Sapporo, Japan	–	Marathon	DNF
2022	World Championships	Eugene, United States	26th	Marathon	2:11:39
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	–	Marathon	DNF
	Asian Games	Hangzhou, China	16th	5000 m	14:48.33
			10th	10,000 m	30:57.71

Personal bests

• 5,000 m (track) - 14:16.48 (2020)
• 10,000 m (track) – 29:17.72 min (2020)
• 10 km (road) – 28:55 min (2016)
• 20 km (road) - 58:55.00 (2016)
• Half marathon – 1:02:10 hrs (2016)
• 30 km (road) - 1:30:53 (2015)
• Marathon – 2:08:50 hrs (2014)

References

1. Turnbull, Simon (19 April 2009). . The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
2. Morpeth Harrier Serod Batochir really is a long distance athletics star 22 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine. The Journal (25 April 2010). Retrieved on 2011-04-26.
3. Bat-Ochir, Ser-Od. IAAF. Retrieved on 26 April 2011.
4. Overall Results of Standard Chartered Marathon, 2004 13 May 2005 at the Wayback Machine. Hong Kong Runners (9 February 2004). Retrieved on 2011-04-26.
5. 2004 Olympics – Marathon – M Final 18 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (24 August 2004). Retrieved on 2011-04-26.
6. 10th Asian Marathon Championship 2006, 15 Oct- Beijing 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Asian Athletics Association (AAA). Retrieved on 27 April 2011.
7. 2006 Asian Games Results 25 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. AAA. Retrieved on 27 April 2011.
8. February 2008 Results. Association of International Marathons and Distance Races. Retrieved on 27 April 2011.
9. Jalava, Mirko (20 April 2008). Mongolia and China take marathon honours – Beijing Olympic test events continue. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-04-27.
10. Larner, Brett (21 December 2008). Kentaro Ito Scores Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Win. Japan Running News. Retrieved on 2011-04-27.
11. McGuirk, Bill (29 April 2010). Serod Batochir coasts to glory in Brighton 24 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Evening Chronicle. Retrieved on 2011-04-26.
12. 2009 World Championships Biographical Entry List 15 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2009). Retrieved on 2011-0-4-27.
13. Serod Batochir. Power of 10. Retrieved on 27 April 2011.
14. 18th Asian Championships 2009 4 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Singapore Athletics. Retrieved on 27 April 2011.
15. Larner, Brett (20 December 2009). Shibutani Wins 40th Hofu Yomiuri Marathon. Japan Running News. Retrieved on 2011-04-27.
16. February 2010 Results 11 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Association of International Marathons and Distance Races. Retrieved on 27 April 2011.
17. Butcher, Pat (26 September 2010). Makau and Kebede triumph in rainy Berlin. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-04-27.
18. Larner, Brett et al. (21 December 2010). Hofu Yomiuri Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2011-04-27.
19. Batochir delighted with road relay win. Evening Chronicle (24 February 2011). Retrieved on 2011-04-27.
20. Brown, Matthew (17 April 2011). Mutai and Keitany dominate and dazzle in London. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-04-27.
21. 2011 World Championships Marathon Men 1 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 9 September 2011.
22. Jalava, Mirko (16 October 2011). Kiprop and Wei Xiaojie triumph in Beijing. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-17.
23. Hofu Yomuri Marathon winners list. KRY (18 December 2011). Retrieved on 2011-12-19.
24. Nakamura, Ken (5 February 2012). Njoroge takes comfortable win at Beppu-Oita Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-02-12.
25. Butcher, Michael (15 April 2012). Course records fall in Brighton. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-04-19.
26. In total 35 athletes qualifies for London-2012 26 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. news.mn. Retrieved on 14 July 2012.
27. Osaka Marathon 2012 Results Retrieved on 13 December 2012.
28. Ser-Od Bat-Ochir. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 29 October 2013.
29. . UVD. Retrieved on 29 October 2013.
30. October 2013 4 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine. AIMS. Retrieved on 29 October 2013.
31. "Results: Fukuoka Marathon 2014 | Watch Athletics".
32. "Marathon Men − Final − Results" (PDF). IAAF. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
33. Final results
34. "Athlete Profile Ser-Od Bat-Ochir." World Athletics, www.worldathletics.org/ athletes/mongolia/batochir-serod-14867157. Accessed 15 June 2021.
35. Kano, Shintaro (27 June 2023). "How Ser-Od Bat-Ochir got his groove back". Olympics. Retrieved 29 August 2023.

External links

• Bat-Ochiryn Ser-Od at World Athletics 
• Bat-Ochiryn Ser-Od at ThePowerOf10.info 
• Bat-Ochiryn Ser-Od at Olympedia 

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bat-Ochiryn Ser-Od.

• Ser-Od Bat-Ochir at World Athletics
• . Archived from the original on 9 September 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
• . Archived from the original on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
• Serod Batochir at Power of 10
• Bat-Ochir Ser-Od at Marathon Info

Olympic Games
Preceded by Makhgalyn Bayarjavkhlan	Flagbearer for   Mongolia 2012 London	Succeeded by Temuulen Battulga