Athletics: Marathoner Kiplimo eyes big return after three-year lay-off

KAMPALA. Five years ago, Abraham Kiplimo was among the Uganda’s top four marathoners.
He often jostled for the then available three quota slots to the different championships with Stephen Kiprotich, Jackson Kiprop and Solomon Mutai.
But after failing to endure the heat to finish the Beijing World Championship race in 2015, Kiplimo could barely run again. “My knees,” he complained then.
With help of his management Global Sport Communication, he flew to Netherlands for treatment but could not make it in time for the Rio Olympics.
Kiplimo has not run a complete 42km race since managing fourth place at the Beppu-Oita Marathon in Japan in early 2015.
Almost four years later, he now seems to be a forgotten figure but not out. “I am not yet well but my right knee is better than before,” said Kiplimo via phone from training camp in Eldoret, Kenya.
The man who fell down but got up in rain to scoop a bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland hopes to run a marathon soon in attempt to qualify for the Doha World Championships. “Hopefully April but I am going for the National Cross-country Championships in Tororo (next month) first to test the body,” the 29-year-old said.
Normally, his manager Jurrie van der Velden prefers sending healing athletes to the Rotterdam Marathon in Netherlands where Kiplimo had his debut in 2013. Or, it could be the Hamburg Marathon in Germany at that time of the year. Kiplimo could be 30 then.
A male marathoner can qualify for Doha if he makes the top 10 positions in an IAAF Gold Label Race like Rotterdam or beats the qualification standard time of 2:16:00 between March 7, 2018 and September 6, 2019. Kiplimo will have his work cut out as four counterparts have already made the mark for Doha.
Robert Chemonges won the Porto Marathon in 2:09:05 in Portugal on November 4 and a week later, Commonwealth silver medallist Mutai was sixth in 2:09:27 at the Shanghai Marathon in China.