Kenya: '80 Percent Fit' Conseslus Ready to Battle for Worlds Steeple Place at Team Kenya Trials

6 July 2023
Capital FM (Nairobi)
By Timothy Olobulu

Nairobi — Former Olympic Champion Conseslus Kipruto has declared himself 80pc fit as he prepares to battle for a place in Team Kenya for the 2023 World Athletics Championships as the trials take centre stage at thye Nyayo National Stadium this weekend.

Kipruto has battled injury since he won his second world title in Doha in 2019, missing out on the defense of his crown in Oregon last year, when Kenya lost the title for the first time in close to four decades.

And now, Kipruto says he feels like his body is getting back into shape, but his immediate task will be to finish in the top two at Team Kenya's trials this weekend, to book a place in Budapest next month.

"At the moment I am feeling good. I am 80 percent in shape and I hope I can make the team to Budapest. At the moment I have not qualified but I feel I am good enough to make the top two and get into the team," Kipruto told Capital Sports.

He will face a healthy field in competition, with only a limited number of top class athletes invited for the trials by Athletics Kenya.

Among those he will compete against include his training partner Abraham Kibiwott, Leonard Bett, Benjamin Kigen as well as former World U20 champions Amos Serem and Amos Kirui.

Meanwhile, Kipruto is confident that Kenya can reclaim its place on the world stage as the kings of the water and barriers race, having lost both the Olympic and World title to Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali.

"I was really pained watching us lose both titles. The steeplechase belongs to us and we will work hard to reclaim it. Nothing went wrong for us because we trained very hard, but seemingly, our competitors are doing more than us," Kipruto said.

He added; "After the trials, we will have to sit down with AK and the coaches as well to try and see what we need to do better to ensure we reclaim the glory in Budapest."

He has not competed much this season, and pulled out of his first race in Rabat as he felt a distant strain in his healing foot.

"After that I went to France and ran in a race which was really slow and I timed 8:17. It is still a good time and from then till now, I have really improved till now so I am expecting a good race on Saturday and to qualify," he added.

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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