Two-time world marathon champion Abel Kirui has warned Sabastian Sawe that his world record in the men’s 42km is under threat from Yomilf Kejelcha.
Kirui believes that the Ethiopian could smash Sawe’s record sooner rather than later, judging by his recent performances.
“I thought that it would be quite a while before the world record could be broken but I’d warn Sawe to start working on how he can lower it again. The Ethiopian guy (Kejelcha) is not far behind; he recently broke the world record in the 21km. My heart is not settled…we are not safe,” the 44-year-old said.
Sawe will be all too conscious of Kirui’s warning about Kejelcha who he faced at this year’s London Marathon in April, on which occasion both men became the first ever to run 42km under two hours.
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The Kenyan clocked a world record of 1:59:30 but Kejelcha was not too far off behind, running 1:59:41 to finish second.
Having clocked 56:51 at last month’s Buenos Aires Half Marathon to become the fastest man in the distance, Kejelcha will have his eyes trailed on the 42km to usurp Sawe as the world record holder.
Sawe would have had the opportunity to lower his record in the near future but for an injury that ruled him out of next month’s Berlin Marathon.
As far as Kirui is concerned, it is not only Sawe’s record that worries him but also the emergence of minnows in the middle and long-distance races, which have for long been a staple of Kenya.
The Olympic silver medalist believes the fact that such countries, including New Zealand, Australia and France, are performing well in international competitions is symptomatic of a major problem in Kenya’s case — which needs introspection.
“We need to change our tactics and not rely on the ones we have been used to. You saw how Australia performed at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. We need to invest in better training facilities, gym facilities…supplements for better recovery. Also, if we don’t embrace technology then we will be overtaken,” Kirui said.
‘Patience is the password’
Kirui also delved into the mass migration of young athletes to the road races without transiting through the track races.
He advised such athletes to take baby steps in their athletics career, noting that patience is the password to unlocking success in athletics.
“They should not be in a hurry, they should prepare and build themselves gradually. The money has increased, yes…the money earned by the likes of Paul Tergat is not the same as that of Eliud Kipchoge and Sawe. Money will always be there so they should take their time, transitioning through track races so they can survive for long in the game,” Kirui said.
The 2008 Vienna City Marathon champion was among hundreds who ran at the sixth edition of the Strathmore Annual Run in the Upper hill area of Nairobi on Saturday morning.
The event sought to raise awareness and funds towards a scholarship initiative for needy students in the institution.
He praised the initiative, noting it as a lesson on how sports can help raise the standard of life for many underprivileged people.
“I think this is one of the ways through which athletes can give back to the community. It may not be much but even that 2 per cent is enough to make a huge difference to somebody’s life when combined with similar contributions from others,” Kirui said.
Categories of competition included 21km, 10km, 5km and the 2.5km fun run.