Kenya announces London Olympic Marathon squad
Abel Kirui celebrates winning his second World Marathon title (Getty Images)
Related content
Nairobi, Kenya - Freshly minted London Marathon champions Wilson Kipsang and Mary Keitany will front Kenya’s Marathon team to the Olympics as Athletics Kenya (AK) announced the long awaited line-up on Wednesday (25).
Two-time World champion, Abel Kirui, who slumped to sixth in Sunday’s race at the Olympics city as well as the Chicago Marathon title holder Moses Mosop complete the men's squad with Daegu gold winner Edna Kiplagat and silver medallist Priscah Jeptoo sealing the women’s trio.
"We have selected the athletes based on their individual performances after the major Marathon races they have participated in this season with a lot of emphasis on experience," AK President Isaiah Kiplagat told a packed media conference.
The selection of Mosop, who finished third at the Rotterdam Marathon in 2:05:02, was perhaps the surprise inclusion in a squad that was whittled down from 12 probables named by the federation in January.
"If you look at the time posted by Mosop, although he was third in Rotterdam he has done much better than most athletes as well as Kipsang who was four seconds shy of the record in London hence we believe this is the best team to represent us in London," Kiplagat noted of last year’s Boston runner-up who breezed to 2:03:06.