Kiprop Looking To End Medal Drought
- By Duncan Larkin
- Published Jun. 5, 2012
- Updated Jun. 5, 2012 at 9:57 AM UTC
He wants to bring home the 10,000m gold in London.
Forty-four years ago Naftali Temu of Kenya won an Olympic gold medal in the 10,000 meters. Since then, there have been many world-class performances on the track by Kenyan runners, but none of them have equaled Temu’s feat.
Wilson Kiprop wants to end this medal drought in London this summer.
RELATED: Wilson Kiprop Wins Kenyan Olympic Trials 10K
Last Friday, he won the Kenyan Olympic Trials, which were held in Eugene, Oregon as part of the Prefontaine Classic, clocking 27:01.98.
“I feel good about it,” Kiprop said of his win.”For now I can’t say anything because the task ahead of me is bigger than what I did [on Friday night]. I have to go back to Kenya and we have to plan how to score this goal. It is a hard task.”
Athletics Kenya officials are taking the drought seriously. The entire group of Kenyan runners spent two months together at a mandatory training camp in Eldoret.
Kiprop pointed out that this camp was unusual and that it’s the Ethiopians, not the Kenyans, who typically get together and train.
For More: IAAF
FILED UNDER: News / Olympic Games TAGS: Olympic Games / Prefontaine Classic / Wilson Kiprop
Duncan Larkin
Duncan Larkin is the news editor at Competitor.com and a freelance journalist who’s been covering the sport of running for over five years. He’s run 2:32 in the marathon and won the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race in 2007. His first running book, RUN SIMPLE, was released last July.