Bad day in office for Kenyans in Rotterdam Marathon as Kelvin Kiptum is celebrated
14th April 2024
Kiptum was to attempt to run a sub-two hour marathon in Rotterdam before t=his untimely death.
- Two of Kenyan women managed to register a podium place position.
- Abdi Nageeye won his fifth NN Rotterdam Marathon in style ahead of Ethiopian athletes.
- Competitors held a minute of silence and wore a black ribbon to pay tribute to the late world record holder Kelvin Kiptum.
Kenyan road race runners struggled at the 2024 NN Rotterdam
Marathon that was held in the Netherlands on Sunday afternoon.
Only two of them managed to secure a podium place finish in
the race which was won by Ethiopia’s Ashete Bekere and Somalian-born Dutch
runner Abdi Nageeye in the women’s and men’s category respectively.
Nageeye, who sometimes trains in Kenya with the likes of
former world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and Geoffrey Kamworor, won the men’s
title in sensational fashion.
The 35-year-old switched on the gears with a few kilometres
remaining to the end of the race and went on to clinch his fifth title in a
Dutch national record time of 2:04.45.
Play here
and stand a chance of winning the over 359 SportPesa Mega Jackpot
He was closely followed by the Ethiopian duo of Amedework
Walelegn and Birhanu Legese, who clocked 2:04.50 and 2:05.16 respectively.
Three Kenyan men managed to finish inside the top 10
positions with Kenneth Kipkemoi clocking 2:05.43 to beat his compatriots Enock
Onchari and Lameck Too to the fourth position. Onchari crossed the finishing
line in 2:06.07, 22 seconds faster than Golazo athlete Too.
In the women’s category, the 2019 champion Bekere once again
ran away with the title in a time of 2:19.30.
She was followed by Kenyan runners Viola Kibiwott and Selly
Chepyego Kaptich. Kibiwott, who celebrated her 40th birthday in December last
year, clocked 2:20.57 to register a second-place position while Kaptich
completed the race in 2:22.46.
ALSO READ: Why Danny Sserunkuma will be remembered forever by Gor Mahia fans
The event was a special one because shortly before the
start, athletes held a moment of silence in memory of the late reigning world
record holder Kelvin Kiptum.
The runners also wore a black ribbon to pay tribute the
Kenyan legend, who ran the fastest-ever marathon in history at the 2023 Chicago
Marathon when he crossed the finish line in 2:00.35.
Moreover, the late Kelvin Kiptum’s wife Asenath Cheruto was
handed a special trophy in honour of her husband, who was to attempt to run a sub-two-hour
marathon in Rotterdam before his untimely death.
Asenath was accompanied by top Athletics Kenya (AK)
officials including President Jackson Tuwei.
Kiptum died in a grisly road accident alongside his Coach and friend Gervais Hakizimana on February 11 this year.
ALSO READ: SportPesa launch revolutionary Tujiamini Initiative to nurture
talent