Kenya`s World Marathon Champion Abel Kirui will not defend his title in Moscow in August following an ankle injury suffered during training that saw him miss the London Marathon in April.
|Last Updated: Jun 24, 2013, 02:43 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Nairobi: Kenya`s World Marathon Champion Abel Kirui will not defend his title in Moscow in August following an ankle injury suffered during training that saw him miss the London Marathon in April.
Confirming the development Sunday, Athletics Kenya (AK) president Isaiah Kiplagat added the withdrawal of Olympic bronze medal winner Wilson Kipsang from the global showpiece.
"It is true, Abel will not defend his title and Kipsang has pulled out to focus on other things. We intended to name the marathon team after the trials since they have been training but that is no longer necessary. The executive committee is meeting on Monday and afterwards. We will release the marathon team for Moscow," Kiplagat said.
Kirui, 31, become the first Kenyan to be crowned a double World Marathon Champion when he successfully defended the title he first won in 2009 Berlin, in Daegu, South Korea two years ago.
Last year, he was beaten to the Olympic gold medal by Uganda`s surprise package Stephen Kiprotich and despite the fact AK shortlisted 10 for Moscow in the men`s marathon squad, Kirui was definitely a show-in to defend his crown.
"It is very disappointing but that is sport. There is still the 2015 World Championships and the 2016 Olympics to look forward to but I was so eager to become the first man to win three world titles," the crestfallen Kirui said from his Iten training base.
"This ankle has refused to heal the way I planned and there is no need of going to war when you are not ready," the affable runner added.
The withdrawals of Kirui and Kipsang leaves Boston and New York marathons course record holder Geoffrey Mutai and 2009 Worlds silver winner Emmanuel Mutai as the favourites to spearhead Kenya`s assault in Moscow.
Mutai, who also struggled with injury at the London Marathon, Saturday announced his return to top form by winning the Kenyan 10,000m title with a blistering 27:55.30 performance in punishing altitude here.
"I`m looking forward to make the Kenyan team as a marathoner for the first time. It felt great to win a race that had such high pace and I feel no reaction to the injury. If I`m not selected in the marathon team, I will return to the trials to compete the 10,000m race since I want to be remembered for what I did for my country," the World Marathon Major winner said following his victory.
Mutai won bronze for his nation at the 2010 Africa Championships in 10,000m before finishing fifth at the Punta Umbria World Cross the following year competing in the 12 km men`s senior race.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.