Mindweak, I explain about Brimin.
He was already a big talent, winning in 2004 the bronze medal in WJCH (1500m in 3'35"96).
He was from the beginning in the camp of Global management, under the coaching of Patrick Sang, from the beginning. He is one of the best friends of Eliud Kipchoge : they are the two "bosses" of the camp, the one with more carisma and more experience.
But there is a big difference : while Eliud is very strong like body structure, Brimin always was very fragile, having a lot of injuries during all his athletics life.
In 2004, still junior, he was able to win Silver in Olympic Games and to have good continuity in the results :
8:05.52 PB (5) (1) 1 FBKG Hengelo 31 May
8:17.1hA 2 OT Nairobi 26 Jun
8:21.92 13 DNG Stockholm 27 Jul
8:15.11 1h2 OG Athína 21 Aug
8:06.11 2 OG Athína 24 Aug
8:05.89 5 VD Bruxelles 3 Sep
8:16.45 6 WAF Monaco 19 Sep
in 2005, he won Bronze medal in WCh, and ran steeple 9 times :
8:09.53 SB 1 FBKG Hengelo 29 May
8:11.69 2 GP Sevilla 4 Jun
8:21.5hA 2 WCT Nairobi 25 Jun
8:04.22 PB (3) 3 GGala Roma 8 Jul
8:19.90 2h3 WC Helsinki 7 Aug
8:15.30 3 WC Helsinki 9 Aug
8:10.69 2 WK Zürich 19 Aug
8:14.26 10 VD Bruxelles 26 Aug
8:09.20 3 WAF Monaco 9 Sep
in 2006, he ran only 5 times, having a problem in one knee-
8:09.64 SB 2 Gaz Saint-Denis 8 Jul
8:08.32 SB (4) 3 GGala Roma 14 Jul
8:20.52 8 WK Zürich 18 Aug
8:15.26 5 VD Bruxelles 25 Aug
8:20.05 6 WAF Stuttgart 10 Sep
in 2007, due to the absence of Shaheen and the demotivation of Ezekiel Kemboi, he prepared for winning WCh, without looking at fast times, but at the end of the season improved his PB :
8:17.21 SB 4 FBKG Hengelo 26 May
8:06.98 SB 3 Tsiklitiria Athína 2 Jul Irregular mark: One hurdle missing
8:12.88 3 Gaz Saint-Denis 6 Jul
8:18.19A 2 WC Tr Nairobi 28 Jul
8:21.93 1h3 WC Osaka 26 Aug
8:13.82 1 WC Osaka 28 Aug
8:02.89 PB (2) 2 VD Bruxelles 14 Sep
8:11.05 3 WAF Stuttgart 23 Sep
In 2008, the best performance of his career : the Olympic Gold
8:20.57 SB 5 GP Doha 9 May
8:18.06 SB 4 FBKG Hengelo 24 May
8:15.23 SB 1 CAA Rabat 14 Jun
8:13.60A SB 2 OT Nairobi 4 Jul
8:15.71 1 GGala Roma 11 Jul
8:23.53 2h1 OG Beijing 16 Aug
8:10.34 SB 1 OG Beijing 18 Aug
8:10.26 SB (7) 2 VD Bruxelles 5 Sep
8:29.11 9 WAF Stuttgart 14 Sep
In 2009, he had an injury the day after Kenyan Trials, and for that reason couldn't defend his title in Berlin. His last meetings of the year were for economical reasons only.
8:08.71 SB 3 Super GP Doha 8 May
8:06.46 SB 1 FBKG Hengelo 1 Jun
8:09.95 2 GSpike Ostrava 17 Jun
8:03.17 SB (5) 1 Tsiklitiria Athína 13 Jul
8:20.03A 1 WC Tr Nairobi 25 Jul
8:18.07 1h2 WC Berlin 16 Aug
8:12.61 7 WC Berlin 18 Aug
8:20.24 8 WK Zürich 28 Aug
8:16.44 6 WAF Thessaloníki 13 Sep
In 2010, he had a good period of shape in July, but again had tendon problems after Saint Denis :
8:18.13 SB 11 Diamond Doha 14 May
8:18.27 2 FBKG Hengelo 30 May
8:18.92 3 adidas New York NY 12 Jun
8:01.62 PB 1 Athl Lausanne 8 Jul
8:00.90 PB (1) 1 Areva Saint-Denis 16 Jul
8:20.77 3 Aviva London 13 Aug
8:10.02 7 WK Zürich 19 Aug
8:19.65 3 CWG Delhi 11 Oct
In 2011, he was able to solve his problems, and, in good training from December, ran also 3 indoor competitions of 1500m in February :
1500m
3:37.17i PB (10) 5 PSD Bank Düsseldorf 11 Feb
3:39.07i 3 Flanders Gent 13 Feb
3:37.80i 4 Aviva Birmingham 19 Feb
3:35.52 SB (50) 6 FBKG Hengelo 29 May
3000m Steeplechase
8:02.28 SB 1 Diamond Shanghai 15 May
8:05.40 2 Bislett Oslo 9 Jun
8:24.6hA 2h1 NC Nairobi 14 Jul
8:20.19A 1 NC Nairobi 16 Jul
7:53.64 AR PB (1) 1 Herc Monaco 22 Jul
8:21.89 3h3 WC Daegu 29 Aug
8:16.05 2 WC Daegu 1 Sep
How you can see, for the first time he was able to start the season with very good times, winning in Shanghai with 8'02" already in May. In Oslo, the 3 top athletes (Paul Koech, Ezekiel Kemboi and Brimin Kipruto) agreed to try the WR in Monaco, and Paul Koech had a personal incentive (really good money) for pacing after the first half at very high speed (Paul Koech was the only fron runner of the group, since Brimin and Ezekiel never were interested to push the pace, being confident in their final sprint).
In the race, Ezekiel was not able to stay with the other two longer than till the last 80m (arriving 2nd in his PB of 7'55"76), while Paul ran something slower than 7'57".
After 2011, Brimin never was the same, losing part of his final speed for problems in one tendon and in one knee. He was still able to run in 8'01" in Saint Denis, but could not have any continuity because his training was an alternation of rest and training for all the season. In 2012 :
8:26.59 SB 12 Diamond Doha 11 May
8:11.73A SB 1 OT Nairobi 23 Jun
8:01.73 SB (4) 2 Areva Saint-Denis 6 Jul
8:28.62 1h2 OG London 3 Aug
8:23.03 5 OG London 5 Aug
8:03.11 1 VD Bruxelles 7 Sep
Also in Olympics, his shape was not the best, and only in August could resume the full training.
The top career of Brimin practically ended that year. He had still some good performance, especially in altitude during Kenyan Trials, but was no more able to run fast times because of the long periods without training, or with little training without specific workouts. This is 2013 :
8:14.97 SB 7 Diamond Shanghai 18 May
8:15.19 2 World Chall Beijing 21 May
8:14.9hA 3 WC Tr Nairobi 13 Jul
8:06.86 SB (6) 1 Sainsbury's London 27 Jul
8:26.58 9 DNG Stockholm 22 Aug
8:25.85 7 WK Zürich 29 Aug
8:16.51 4 ISTAF Berlin 1 Sep
This is 2014 :
8:04.64 SB (4) 2 Diamond Doha 9 May
8:11.39 3 GGala Roma 5 Jun
8:20.93 10 Bislett Oslo 11 Jun
8:14.00 4 Athletissima Lausanne 3 Jul
8:21.49 10 Herc Monaco 18 Jul
8:16.61 2 Sainsbury's Birmingham 24 Aug
8:16.90 6 VD Bruxelles 5 Sep
This is 2015 :
8:18.55 SB 6 Diamond Shanghai 17 May
8:10.09 SB (5) 4 Areva Saint-Denis 4 Jul
8:22.95A 3 WC Tr Nairobi 1 Aug
8:24.95 3h3 WC Beijing 22 Aug
8:12.54 3 WC Beijing 24 Aug
8:24.66 7 WK Zürich 3 Sep
This is 2016 :
8:29.54 SB 14 GGala Roma 2 Jun
8:19.33 SB 4 Diamond Birmingham 5 Jun
8:33.5hA 1h2 OT Eldoret 30 Jun
8:27.68A 1 OT Eldoret 1 Jul
8:26.25 2h2 OG Rio de Janeiro 15 Aug
8:18.79 SB (25) 6 OG Rio de Janeiro 17 Aug
8:20.46 5 Athletissima Lausanne 25 Aug
8:25.65 13 VD Bruxelles 9 Sep
This is 2017 (his last year) :
8:35.1hA SB 2h2 WC Tr Nairobi 23 Jun
8:19.87A SB (26) 2 WC Tr Nairobi 24 Jun
8:33.33 7h3 WC London 6 Aug
Brimin ran 102 competitions of steeple during 14 years of activity, that are a good way for destroying knees and tendons for an athlete so thin like him.
The top 10 personal performances are the following :
7:53.64 1 Monaco 22 Jul 2011
8:00.90 1 Saint-Denis 16 Jul 2010
8:01.62 1 Lausanne 8 Jul 2010
8:01.73 2 Saint-Denis 6 Jul 2012
8:02.28 1 Shanghai 15 May 2011
8:02.89 2 Bruxelles 14 Sep 2007
8:03.11 1 Bruxelles 7 Sep 2012
8:03.17 1 Athína 13 Jul 2009
8:04.22 3 Roma 8 Jul 2005
8:04.64 2 Doha 9 May 2014
So, we can say that Brimin had great talent, but was very fragile in his body. He had the characteristic to have a very fast final, and for that reason only preferred tactical races than races for trying fast times.
His best time is due to a particular situation : the only time that Paul Kipsiele Koech, the most consistant specialist ever, acted as a real pacer for both Brimin and Ezekiel, under a big incentive for trying the WR.
So, many reasons out of doping for that particular performance. In many of his performances a little bit slower than 8', Brimin could already have had the possibility to run around 7'56" if there was some pushing the pace, but the only one able to do this was Paul Kipsiele Koech, who wanted to be competitive for himself, and not to run as pacer of other athletes.
At the end, the fact Brimin failed for 1/100 only the WR of Shaheen is an act of justice, looking at the careers of the two athletes. And, believe me, I don't think 7'53" was a great record, because in 2006 I was sure Shaheen could run under 7'50", if the conditions of the weather and the pace of the last rabbit (Richard Mateelong) was correct.