As the 2023 comes to an end, the reigning Africa Games 5,000m champion Robert Kiprop has aligned his 2024 calendar, which will be busy.
Fresh from winning the BingwaFest 10,000m race in Eldoret, Kiprop says that he has taken a break in competition but with serious training as a build up for 2024 calendar that will culminate at the Paris Olympic Games in Paris, France.
“Next year will be very busy and crucial for any athlete and part of my priority is to train well and earn good positions come the New Year,” said Kiprop.
His first competitive event will be the National Police Service Cross country championships that will be staged at the Ngong Racecourse on January 19th in Nairobi.
“This event will be so big for me and the entire NPS family as we shall be seeking for the tickets ahead of national cross country cum trials for the World Cross country championships. I need to prepare well for the event,” said Kiprop, who will be representing the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) at the championships.
After the National Police Service, he said that his move will be to compete at the third edition of Sirikwa cross country championships, the World Athletics Golden Tour at the Lobo Village in Kapseret, Uasin Gishu County in February.
“This year, I had bad results at the Sirikwa Cross country, finishing in position 9 but now I want to try and improve in that position and hit the podium. To earn that position, I need proper preparations through training,” he said.
The Iten based athlete, who finished 4th at the inaugural The Great Chepsaita Cross country added that after Sirikwa, he will be chasing for a slot into team Kenya at the national cross country championships ahead of world cross country championship that will be staged in Belgrade, Serbia in March.
“The championships will be the most competitive to earn the ticket into team Kenya. But since I have done so many times, I would want to be in the team to fly the Kenyan flag,” he said.
After Belgrade, he will begin the journey to defend his Africa Games 5,000m title. Following the postponement of the Games that were to be held this year in August, Kiprop said that he will be chasing that qualifying standards for the title defence in Accra, Ghana.
“I have been trying hard, competing on track as part of my preparations to defend my Africa Games title. It is not easy but I want to do my level best to retain it,” he said.
Recently, Kiprop finished 4th at the Athletics Kenya Iten cross country meet behind the winner Nicholas Kimeli, Weldon Lagat and Asbel Kiprop.
On September 17th, Kiprop finished 5th at the Bangsaen 10km road race in Thailand. The race was won by Moroccan Hicham Amghar, followed by Ethiopian Chimdessa Debele, Kenyan Stanley Njiha, Ugandan Martin magengo Kiprotich.
When he is done with the Accra show, his mission will be the Olympics. He says that he wants to feature into the team because competing at the Olympic Games in Paris, France will mark the culmination of all events in the world.
“Next year I want to be at the Olympic Games. Every athlete will be hoping to make the team. Competing in such races will be crucial in evaluating where one is at and what needs to change,” said Kiprop