Kenya’s double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge said that “not every day is Christmas” after his Paris Games preparations hit a snag with a 10th-place finish at yesterday’s Tokyo Marathon behind winner Benson Kipruto.
The 39-year-old Kipchoge faded badly at about the 20km mark and crossed the line in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 50 seconds.
Kenya’s Kipruto won in a course-record 2:02:16 ahead of countrymen Timothy Kiplagat (2:02:55) and Vincent Ngetich (2:04:18).
Photo: EPA-EFE
The race was taking place less than a month after world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum died when his car crashed into a tree in Kenya.
Kipchoge is to attempt to win his third straight Olympic marathon gold later this year and he said it was “too early to say” what shape he would be in at the Paris Games.
“That’s how it is — not every day is Christmas Day,” he told Japan’s Nippon TV.
Kipchoge said that “something happened in the middle of the race,” without elaborating.
He dropped back dramatically to leave Kiplagat, Kipruto and Ngetich fighting it out in the leading pack.
Kipchoge continued to struggle as the race wore on and had dropped out of the top 10 by the 35km mark.
“I will go back, relax and start training,” he said.
Ethiopia’s Sutume Asefa Kebede won the women’s race in 2:15:55 — also a course record.
Kenya’s defending champion Rosemary Wanjiru (2:16:14) was second ahead of Ethiopia’s world title-holder Amane Beriso Shankule (2:16:58).
Kiptum was killed at the age of 24 on Feb. 11, just months after he beat Kipchoge’s world record to set a new mark of 2:00:35 in Chicago.
Kiptum and Kipchoge were expected to face off for the first time at the Paris Olympics.
The Tokyo Marathon was Kipchoge’s first race since Kiptum’s death and he was on pace to reclaim the world record until he tumbled out of contention.
Kipruto said he did not know what had happened to Kipchoge, but declared himself “ready” for the Paris Games if he is chosen for Kenya’s team.
When asked if he could become the first person to run under two hours, Kipruto said: “Nothing is impossible, I will work on that.”
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