LONDON – Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele has said that Kelvin Kiptum will always have a special place at the London Marathon after the Kenyan’s tragic death.
Bekele, a three-time Olympic track champion, is gearing up for the latest edition of the race on April 21.
But the event will be overshadowed by the absence of long-distance runner Kiptum, who won the London Marathon in 2023 before dying in a car accident in February.
Kiptum set a new London Marathon record time of 2hr 1min 25sec last season and he was also the first man to run the marathon under 2hr 1min in Chicago.
The 24-year-old’s death sent shock waves through the sport and he will be remembered before the April 21 race with 30 seconds of applause.
Bekele, who won Olympic gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2008 Games in Beijing, has run the London Marathon five times, finishing as runner-up in 2017.
The 41-year-old, who also has five World Championship titles on the track, is in no doubt of Kiptum’s lasting impact.
“Kelvin of course all of us miss him. Even within his short time, he has been setting an amazing history,” he said.
“The course record is also under his name and we are all remembering him. We put him in a special place in our heart because in a really short time he has done a lot for our sport.”
Turning his attention to the race, Bekele believes that a lot of factors will come into play if Kiptum’s course record is to be challenged this weekend.
“Most of the time in London, maybe the first half is a very fast start because of pacing, but with me it can depend,” he said. “I can read my body, listening to my feelings and of course the circumstances – like with the weather.”
His compatriot Tamirat Tola comes into London as the reigning New York Marathon champion, which followed on from his victory at the 2022 World Championship in Eugene.
Tola, who claimed 10,000m bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, feels in good shape heading into the race.
“I have been working hard to prepare my body for the marathon in London,” he said.
“My training and my body is okay, so we will see (what happens) on Sunday.”
Selection for this summer’s Olympics in Paris could also be secured this weekend, but Tola will not let that distract his focus, adding: “If I am selected for the Olympics, I will be happy, but it will depend on our race – and after Sunday we will know.” AFP
