• Looking ahead to the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, Kenya seeks to reclaim titles they last held in London 2017 (men’s) and Doha 2019 (women’s) with Kirwa stressing the importance of early preparation.
• Kirwa also noted that cross-country training will be vital for marathoners aiming for Tokyo 2025.
Image: TEAM KENYA
Despite losing the men’s and women’s marathon titles at the Paris Olympics, national athletics coach Julius Kirwa is adamant that Kenya’s dominance in the 42km race in major championships remains intact.
At the Paris Olympics, Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola claimed gold in an Olympic record time of 2:06:26, edging out Belgium’s Bashir Abdi (2:06:47) and Kenya’s Benson Kipruto (2:07:00).
London Marathon champion Alexander Munyao finished in position 21 (2:10:31) with two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge registering a DNF (did not finish).
The women’s marathon saw Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan storm to victory in 2:22:55 ahead of Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa (2:22:58) and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri (2:23:10).
Sharon Lokedi placed fourth, just four seconds off the podium, with defending champion Peres Jepchirchir finishing 15th in 2:26:51.
Kirwa emphasised that despite not defending the Olympic crowns, Kenya’s marathon prowess in major championships is far from waning.
“We secured podium finishes in both races despite not defending our titles. If you look at the top three times, they are very close and this means the competition was tough,” he said.
“Those results do not mean that we have lost our grip on marathons around the globe. We are still a force to be reckoned with,” he added.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Kenya had swept both titles, with Kipchoge’s dominant 2:08:38 finish for gold in the men’s race, outpacing Netherlands’ Abdi Nageeye (2:09:58) and Abdi Bashir (2:10:00).
Jepchichir stormed to victory in the women’s race in 2:27:20 with Brigid Kosgei (2:27:36) and USA’s Molly Seidel (2:27:46) completing the podium.
Kirwa said Paris presented new challenges for the Kenya’s specifically the humidity and the tough course.
“The Paris course was very hilly, it had 1km elevations which made it hard for the athletes. The humidity was also very high, something most of our athletes were not accustomed to,” he noted.
Looking ahead to the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, Kenya seeks to reclaim titles they last held in London 2017 (men’s) and Doha 2019 (women’s) with Kirwa stressing the importance of early preparation.
“We need to start early preparations for the World Championships because other countries are coming up strongly. Training together will play a huge factor in terms of strategising,” Kirwa noted.
The last time Kenya reigned supreme in the men’s marathon was in 2017, with Geoffrey Kirui clocking 2:08:27 ahead of Tola (2:09:49) and Tanzania’s Alphonse Simbu (2:09:51).
In the women’s event, Ruth Chepngetich secured the 2019 gong in 2:32:43, outpacing Bahrain’s Rose Chelimo (2:33:46) and Namibia’s Helalia Johannes (2:34:15) to the crown.
At the 2022 championships in Eugene, only Judith Korir (2:18:20) secured a podium finish in the women’s race with the men falling short.
Last year in Budapest, there were no podium finishes in both the men’s and women’s events. Kirwa also noted that cross-country training will be vital for marathoners aiming for Tokyo 2025.
“Cross country will be important for the marathon athletes to build up their speed, strength, endurance and stamina because the cause is rough and hilly,” he noted.
Confident about the terrain in Asia, Kirwa believes Kenya’s athletes will excel in Tokyo.
“Asia is an area we tentatively do well so we expect good results from all our athletes in Tokyo. We will talk to all the coaches and athletes earlier in advance to prepare them for success,” he noted.