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Tricky Bern terrain checks Kiplangat’s speed
Victor Kiplangat is racing in Switzerland. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
Early this year, he settled for sixth place in the senior men’s 10km event during the World Athletics Cross-country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. The medal miss only left the 27-year-old a very hungry man.
Two months ago, Victor Kiplangat admitted that completing the Tokyo Marathon in Japan had been tedious.
The country’s number one marathoner felt the last 6km had been difficult, enroute to finishing a distant 15th place on his World Marathon Major (WMM) debut.
This marked the first time that Kiplangat had ever completed a career marathon outside the top four places. Later, his coach Addy Ruiter highlighted Kiplangat had missed some weeks of training due to illness.
However, Kiplangat had already secured a ticket to the Paris Olympics as the country’s fastest runner during the qualifying window via the 2023 Osaka Marathon in Japan.
After Tokyo, Ruiter and Kiplangat have been working in the build-up to Paris. That 42km event during the Olympics will come on August 10 and Kiplangat will be in the company of Stephen Kissa and Andrew Kwemoi.
The man nicknamed ‘Pastor’ Kiplangat now wants to nick his own form of history by holding the world, Commonwealth and Olympic titles at a go.
And to prepare for Paris, he will on Saturday check his body when he lines-up for the 10-mile race at Bern Grand Prix 10EM in Switzerland. “Running a good race and to test his speed,” Ruiter said of the main goal in Bern.
“It’s just to break training and to see where he is at, at the moment,” said his manager Jurrie van der Velden from Dutch agency Global Sports Communication.
To add the Olympic title to his profile, Kiplangat will need to floor a field that has two-time reigning champion Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge.
The Grand Prix von Bern is a prestigious 10-mile road race that challenges runners with a 204m elevation gain, winding through the historic and scenic streets of Bern. “It will be a hard race,” added Jurrie.
“Running a good race and to test his speed,” Ruiter said of the main goal over the 16.1km route in Bern. Kiplangat won the Commonwealth title in Birmingham, England two years ago before adding the world title during the Budapest Worlds in Hungary last August.
By attempting to win in Paris, Kiplangat will be seeking to emulate his country-mate Stephen Kiprotich, who stormed to Olympic marathon gold at the London 2012 Games on August 12, 2012.
UGANDAN IN ACTION - IN SWITZERLAND
SATURDAY
Grand Prix von Bern 10 Mile: Victor Kiplangat (Men’s 10 Mile)
SUNDAY- RABAT DIAMOND LEAGUE
9pm: Esther Chebet (Women’s 5000m)
PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS - ATHLETICS: TEAM UGANDA
Men’s Marathon Final (Aug 10): Victor Kiplangat, Stephen Kissa, and Andrew Kwemoi
Paris Olympics Marathon Venues: Hôtel de Ville and Les Invalides
ROAD TO PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS - UGANDAN MARATHONERS
MEN’S MARATHON - TEAM UGANDA QUALIFICATION
1 Victor Kiplangat (Osaka Marathon, 2nd, 2:06:03 on Feb 26, 2023)
2 Stephen Kissa (Osaka Marathon, 2nd, 2:06:22, Feb 25, 2024)
3 Andrew Kwemoi (Milan Marathon, 1st, 2:07:14 on Apr 2, 2023)
4 Solomon Mutai (Venice Marathon, 1st, 2:07:41, Oct 22, 2023)
Entry Standard: 2:08:10, Qualifying window: Nov 1, 2022 - Apr 30, 2024
KIPLANGAT AT A GLANCE
Full Name: Victor Kiplangat
Date of birth: Nov 10, 1999
Major Events: Half-Marathon, Marathon
Personal Bests: 59:26 (21km), 2:05:09 (42km)
Coach: Addy Ruiter
Manager: Jurrie van der Velden
KIPLANGAT’S MARATHON CAREER
Nov 7, 2021: Istanbul Marathon, 1st (2:10:18)
Apr 24, 2022: Hamburg Marathon, 4th (2:05:09)
Jul 30, 2022: XXII Commonwealth Games, 1st (2:10:55)
Feb 26, 2023: Osaka Marathon, 2nd (2:06:03)
Aug 27, 2023: Budapest World Champs, 1st (2:08.53)
Mar 3, 2024: Tokyo Marathon, 15th (2:07:44)
