Busy Sunday for Kenya's athletics big shots: Athletes will be eying glory in three marathons and a 21km race
Athletics
By
Stephen Rutto
| Oct 15, 2022
Top Kenyan athletes will be headlining several races among them Toronto Waterfront, Sanlam Cape Town and Amsterdam marathons as well as Delhi Half Marathon, tomorrow.
From Canada to South Africa, to the Netherlands and India, marathoners will be seeking to, perhaps, end the season in style.
At the Toronto Waterfront marathon, the country's big shots Barselius Kipyego, Felix Kandie and Felix Kibitok will tackle Ethiopians Yihunilign Adane and Kebede Wami for top honours at the Canadian race.
Kandie, who boasts of a 2:06:03 personal best, returns to Toronto after placing third in the 2018 edition.
The 35-year-old road racer has proved his mettle in the marathon, winning Praha (Prague) marathon in 2056 and returning to book a second place in the same race in 2016. He has also previously placed fourth in Boston and 5th in Berlin in 2019 - both 'Abbott World Marathon Majors'.
Kibitok on the other hand, placed fifth at the Barcelona Marathon in a personal best of 2:06:28. Like Felix Kandie, Kibitok takes to Toronto an impressive athletics resume.
He has raced under one hour in the half marathon on three occasions, such as 59:33 at the Mitja Marato Internacional Vila de Santa Polain in January this year. Kibitok also ran 59:08 in Prague (2019) and 59:21 at the Copenhagen half marathon in 2018.
Kenyan top guns will also be eying glory at the Sanlam Cape Town marathon, a race that will be staged in a scenic South African City.
Tecla Kirongo will be leading a strong team of more than five athletes to the South African race.
Tecla recently emerged third in the women's race at the 2022 edition of the Marathon BP Castellon in Italy held in February this year.
Sanlam is Africa's only Gold Label Status Marathon and an Abbott World Marathon Major Candidate event.
At the Delhi half marathon, Kenyan and Ethiopian long distance runners will be battling for a lion's share of the $268,000 (Sh32 million) prize money.
The race will be flagged off from the iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium tomorrow.
A week ago, half marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo was expected to pause the biggest threat to former Berlin Marathon half marathon winner Felix Kipkoech and a host of Ethiopian road racers.