Injury-stricken Kipsiro to fight for 10,000m title

Moses Kipsiro is hurting and worried. The Ugandan long distance star came to Glasgow as a double champion but might leave empty-handed. On Sunday night, he helplessly surrendered the 5,000m title to Kenya’s Careb Ndiku.
Another Kenyan Isaiah Koech took silver while the bronze went to New Zealand’s Zane Robertson. Kipsiro was nowhere near the podium. He was eighth. Much as he came here with a sore knee that’s not the positioning he expected.
“I can’t say I would have won gold but I should have done better than eighth,” Kipsiro told Daily Monitor after the entertaining race that kept the 51,000 capacity crowd inside Hampden Park on its feet. “This was one of the most open races I have competed in. It was up for the taking.”
Kipsiro looked good on the night. He raced on the neck of the leading pack and didn’t put a foot wrong tactically until the final 800m. But as he prepared to launch a final assault, New Zealander Jake Robertson, whose twin brother Zake Robertson claimed bronze, fell into his path. He lost his footing and rhythm.
“That was my time to attack but the incident completely disorganized me. I lost too much time. By the time I regained it was too late,” offered the 2007 World Championships 5,000m bronze medalist.

Disappointed
With Briton Mo Farah out of the Games, Kipsiro said he had little worries about the rest of the field even with his half fit legs. “I have spent a month in London undergoing treatment on this knee. It has given me lots of trouble. I haven’t been able to train at full strength but I was sure of doing something here.”
After the race, Kipsiro had to ice his right knee hoping it doesn’t react ahead of the 10,000m final on Sunday. The 10,000m title is one he won’t surrender without a fight. n“Let’s give it two days and see how it reacts. If there is no reaction, I will be in the final,” he said. After the Games, Kipsiro will return to London to continue with treatment.
“You know, there are times I kneel down and pray that God could give me fresh legs. Imagine before I went to London, I spent another one month in Kenya treating a hamstring. If I were training without any injuries, I would have had the easiest victories here,” he said.
If the injury doesn’t heal completely, Kipsiro will have tough decisions to make. “Maybe I will take a long break. The situation gets worrying at times but I’ll leave everything to God.”

EVENTS TODAY
ATHLETICS: Live on SS4
Ronald Musagala 800m 3:25pm
Linet Chebet, 10,000m 9:00pm
TOMORROW
Winnie Nanyondo 800m 1:55pm

400M FOR WOMEN

Heat 1
1. Rasnayaka Mudiyans (SRI) 53.75
2. Regina George (Nigeria) 53.92
3. Poovamma Machettira (India) 54.1
9. Emilly Nanziri (Uganda) 59.02
Heat 3
1. Kineke Alexander (St Vincent) 52.98
2. Kabenge Mupopo (Zambia) 53.18
3. Maureen Maiyo (Kenya) 53.21
9. Halima Nakaayi (Uganda) 57.51
Heat 6
1. Novlene Williams-Mills (Jamaica) 52.39
2. Margaret Adeoye (England) 53.98
3. Mitchel Morgan (Australia) 54.28
4. Lina Shedi (Uganda) 54.77