The Kenya Track and Field Club has finally announced the marathon representative for the Paris Olympics.
Here's what you need to know:
– The men's team for the Paris Olympics will consist of two-time Olympic champion and former world record holder Eliud Kipchoge, Tokyo Olympic champion Benson Kipruto and London Marathon champion Alexander Mutiso.
– The women's team for the Paris Olympics will feature reigning Olympic champion Perez Jepchirchir, two-time Boston Marathon winner and New York City Marathon champion Helen Obiri, and former world record holder and 2021 Olympic silver medalist Brigid Kosgei. configured.
– Timothy Kiplagat and Sharon Rokedi will serve as backups in case someone gets injured.
– Kipchoge has a chance to make history as the first athlete to win back-to-back gold medals in the marathon. He wrote on Instagram: “I always say that the Olympic dream is a special dream. The Olympics is what we dream of as little children starting sports, and it is what motivates us the most today. It will be the fifth time in our lives. I am very proud to have been selected to represent Kenya. After winning marathon gold in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, my focus will be on Paris.”
– Jepchirchir has a chance to become the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the marathon.
– Obiri has won two Olympic silver medals in the 5000 meters. She is aiming for her first Olympic gold medal, and she told CITIUS MAG: If I become one of the athletes representing Kenya, I believe it will be my biggest chance to show that I have been a track athlete and am now a marathon runner. Now the time will come for me to obtain the gold I have been searching for for so many years. ”
Analysis of picks
– After the London Marathon, the results of the men’s team were in line with my expectations. The biggest surprise for the women's team was the selection of Kosgei over Rokedi. I expected there would be some sort of politics at play here since they rely on selection teams and don't have Olympic trials. Nike is the sponsor of Kenya's team in the games and world championships. Some Kenyan reporters pointed out that it was a rather tacit formality for Nike to include athletes on the Olympic team. If the team was legitimately Jepchirchir, Obiri, and Rokedi, there would be no Nike players on the women's team.
Rokedi finished third in the New York City Marathon last fall and was runner-up in Boston, which was strong evidence for his selection. On Paris' hilly course without her pacemaker, she proved to be a formidable contender.
Kosgei finished fifth in London in 2:19:02, becoming the third Kenyan to cross the finish line. She lost to Jepchirchir and Joycilin Jepkosgei (who was not even on Athletics Kenya's shortlist) by about three minutes. About a month after Kosgei lost to Rokedi in New York, she went to Abu Dhabi, where she ran a time of 2:19:15. Since 2018, she has run fewer hilly courses, opting for flat, faster races such as London, Tokyo and Chicago.
It's disappointing for Rokedi, especially since Obiri publicly petitioned for his selection at the post-race press conference in Boston. Similar to Athletics Kenya's failure to select Mary Keitany in 2016, Mary Keitany won the New York City Marathon in 2:24:26 (winning by almost 4 minutes). In the same way, I hope that Rokedi will continue to be active in the future. She wins her fall marathon of her choice.
