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Tearful Eric Kiptanui demands answers from Team Kenya

 

He fought back tears as he took his place at the startling line, not as a competitor, but as one of the fans in the gallery.

One could understand his anger and bitterness after having sacrificed training time to reach Birmingham, especially after most of Kenya’s top stars avoided taking up places in Team Kenya for the Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Championship.

The 32-year-old had only represented Kenya once in 1,500 metres at the 2016 Africa Senior Athletics Championships where he finished seventh in the final.

Eric Kiprono Kiptanui saw a golden chance to fly the country flag for the second time after six years.

Luckily enough, Kiptanui, who finished third in the 2021 Chicago Marathon, was named alongside Jonathan Korir, Philemon Kacheran and 2021 Fukuoka Marathon champion Michael Githae (reserve) for the Commonwealth Games.

Kacheran would be sanctioned for doping to see Githae take up his place in the team, and the lucky Githae would arrive right on the eve of the men’s marathon race that took place on Saturday. Kiptanui and Korir had arrived a week earlier in Birmingham.

But Kiptanui is now demanding answers from the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) since they are the ones that entered the team.

Kiptanui’s name was missing in the starting line-up with one Eric Kiplagat Sang having wrongly entered in his place.

Sang wasn’t even in Birmingham!

Githae went on to claim bronze for Kenya in two hours, 13 minutes and 16 seconds, losing out to Uganda’s Victor Kiplangat, who went for gold in 2:10:56 as Alphonce Simbu from Tanzania captured silver in 2:12:28.

Consequently, just like Kiptanui, 800m athlete Cornelius Tuwei and steeplechaser Amos Kirui, who are in Birmingham, could also end up not competing after their names were not entered.

Tuwei and Kirui had replaced World Under-20 Championships’ 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Abraham Kibiwott, respectively. Wanyonyi and Kibiwott competed at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.

However, sources in the Team Kenya camp indicated that Athletics Kenya (AK) and NOC-K were making frantic efforts to have Wanyonyi and Kibiwott in Birmingham after the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) failed to enter Tuwei and Kirui.

According to a letter shown to Nation Sport in Birmingham, which was addressed to NOC-K President Paul Tergat by the CGF, their request to replace Kiptanui on July 29 came in late.

Sources indicated that AK made changes to the athletics team way after the registration deadline on June 29, hence making it impossible to change.

The CGF could only have allowed a replacement on three grounds - medical, Covid-19 and doping - which wasn’t the case in this instance.

Sources explained that NOC-K have accepted responsibility in Kiptanui’s case, but blamed AK in Wanyonyi and Kirui’s mess.

“This is painful…it’s simply bad. Nothing can really explain how I felt when the gun went off to start the race with only two Kenyans in the pack... I think one needs to explain to me how my name wasn’t entered correctly,” said Kiptanui.

“I have been in Birmingham for almost a week and they never bothered to check when the anomaly was noted.”

With four Kenyans having been flagged for various violations of anti-doping rules at the Games, Kiptanui, who was placed fifth at Boston Marathon in April, and had personal best 2:05:47 from his victory in Xiamen Marathon last year, feared that he might be grouped with the dopers.

“What makes me angry is that people ignore everything. People must take their work seriously,” said Kiptanui as he fought back tears.

 "This is a race I could have won easily since I had no injuries," explained Kiptanui.    BY DAILY NATION     

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