Kipsiro hints at switching to marathon

Gold medallist Kipsiro produced a final kick that will live in the memories of many Ugandan sports lovers for long. PHOTO BY AFP

What you need to know:

Commonwealth men’s 10,000m champion Moses Kipsiro tells of how he is not yet a spent force and the burning desire he has to continue winning medals for Uganda.

KAMPALA

Between his double-gold medal success at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India and his recent feat, Moses Kipsiro cut a posture of a spent force. He was a no-show at the 2012 London Olympics and last year’s World Championships in Moscow.

But no one can keep a good man down. Days after he had finished 8th in the men’s 5000m event at the Glasgow Games, Kipsiro silenced all his critics when he retained his 10,000m title in scintillating style.

“I can assure you 100 percent that there is no one who can say Kipsiro is done, except God,” Kipsiro told Sunday Monitor in an exclusive interview. His victory ensured Uganda finished with five medals to settle for 18th place out of 71 competing nations.

Prior, Kipsiro had battled hamstring and knee injuries. He was also not popular with Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) because of his continued criticism about the way they managed the sport.

Memorable
But his final kick produced one of the most memorable races at the Games that had everyone at Hampden Park on his feet as he beat Kenyan Joseph Bett to gold by 0.03 seconds. Kipsiro clocked 25:56.11.
“I am happy He [God] still did wonders for me and I retained my title,” said the three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist.

But Kipsiro reveals that he would not have been in Glasgow were it not for the insistence of his manager Ricky Simms. “I wanted to shift to marathon but my manager insisted I stay on track adding that he believed I still had something to offer.”

“But if it was my will I would have already moved up,” said the 27-year-old.
“At the moment, injuries are consistent and running on the track is very competitive with lots of youngsters coming through,” he says.

“And most of my friends I used to run with on track have all switched to marathon. It is only me left. I pray God keeps me focused and by His will, I will be upgrading to something else in the future.”
“I want to keep winning medals for Uganda but I am not sure whether it will still be in 5000m, 10,000m or the marathon,” the 5000m bronze medallist at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka added.

KIPSIRO AT A GLANCE

Date of Birth: September 2, 1986
Manager: Ricky Simms
Major Races: 5000m, 10000m

PERSONAL BESTS
3000m: 7:30.95 NR (2009)
5000m: 12:50.72 NR (2007)
10,000m: 27:04.48 (2012)

KIPSIRO’S MAJOR TRACK HONOURS
2006: 3rd African Championships (5000m)
2006: 1st African Championships (10,000m)
2007: 1st All Africa Games (5000m)
2007: 3rd World Championships (5000m)
2008: 2nd` World Athletics Final (5000m)
2010: 2nd Africa Championships (10,000m)
2010: 1st Commonwealth Games (5000m)
2010: 1st Commonwealth Games (10,000m)
2011: 1st All Africa Games (5000m)
2014: 1st Commonwealth Games (10,000m)