Raptured wrote:
I just wish that AK hadn't automatically granted a spot to Kirui. Winning the WC Marathon is a great accomplishment, but both G Mutai and Mosop are better. I can understand that they want guys that are proven in Championship marathons, but I'd argue that Boston and Chicago are more deserving of being called "championship" than the actual WC race, just since the competition is so much better at the Marathon Majors than the WC marathon. I think Kenya's best team would've been Mutai, Mosop, and Makau, but now that Kirui has a spot, I think that it's going to be a tight run between Mutai and Mosop. Obviously Mutai had the advantage after Boston and I really would argue that his Boston time still beats Mosop's Chicago time. If Mutai doesn't win NYC, I see Mosop getting the ticket, but if Mutai does indeed pull through in NYC, I think they'll have to give it to him. As for E Mutai, he's also very deserving of a spot (perhaps over Kirui as well), but I think Athletics Kenya would be out of their minds if they sent him over G Mutai or Mosop. Kenya is simply too good to send him, even with a London CR and 2:04:40 PR. His level of consistency is certainly a bit lower than G Mutai and Mosop of late, so I don't think he should get the spot.
Regardless of whether Kirui is currently the sixth or tenth best KEnyan, he HAS to be IN THE TEAM!
Kirui is a cop and true to his profession, he heeded the call of his country when it needed him most.
At a time when AK and by extension the country were desperately looking for people to represent the nation, and at a time when everyone else didn't want to heed such calls for national duty, Kirui forewent all the money he could make elsewhere and said "SEND ME"!
...and as they say, the rest is history.
The boy delivered big time!
For that and that alone, he deserves a spot and rightly so.
Everyone else, including Makau, is fair game. They all need to line up in London in April 2012 and it is from this race that the other two should be selected as Dr. Canova has indicated here.
The first Kenyan to cross the line gets the second automatic spot.
The third sspot should be a wild card from this race-in my opinion. It could be the second guy or anyone else.
Kirui's place is CAST IN STONE.
That is as it shall be.