Eugine, Oregon — World 3000m steeplechase bronze medalist Conseslus Kipruto says he shares the same heartbreak with Kenyans after another loss in the men's steeplechase.
Kipruto, the immediate former world champion, clocked 8:27.92 to finish third and relinquish his title to Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali who timed 8:25.13 in first place.
Ethiopian Lamecha Girma maintained the silver medal he won in Doha, three years ago.
"We say thank you to our federation (Athletics Kenya) for the support they gave us. They put us in camp for two months so we could train together... the expectation was that we would bring back glory to the country but that did not happen. That is how sports is like; at times you lose... at times you win. There is always a next time," Kipruto said.
The latest heartbreak for Kenya followed on from the Tokyo Olympics in August last year when Bakkali's win made it the first time the country had lost in a race it has dominated for close to five decades.
The Moroccan extended his newfound dominance when he excelled at the Kip Keino Classic in September of the same year, in Nairobi.
These setbacks notwithstanding, Kipruto has sworn to come back stronger at next year's World Championship in Budapest, Hungary.
"Seeing that I only just returned to action recently and won bronze, I would say there is so much room for improvement. Next year, I promise to come back and fight tooth and nail against these guys to bring back this title to Kenya. As those who specialize in steeplechase, we will have a discussion when we return home and see which areas need to improve," the 2016 Olympic champion said.
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In the meantime, Kipruto said he is content with bronze.
Other Kenyan representatives in the race were national champion Abraham Kibiwot (8:28.95) and Leonard Bett (8:36.74) who finished fifth and 15th respectively.
Kipruto praised his colleagues despite the race not going according to plan.
"They are very good runners who are great at jumping over the hurdles and water barriers. Problem is today we did not assist each other as much. Luckily, the Commonwealth Games are two weeks away and that offers us a chance to redeem ourselves in the steeplechase. We promise to go to Birmingham and bring back the Commonwealth title," he said.
Kipruto further said he will be competing in the ongoing Diamond League series.
