Paris winner Kotut tells of shock at his victory

Paris winner Kotut tells of shock at his victory

Sunday’s Paris Marathon victory came as a surprise to even Cyprian Kotut himself as he continues basking in the glow of his breakthrough win of his career in the footsteps of elder brother and three-time London Marathon winner, Martin Lel.

Speaking to Citizen Digital after landing from the French capital where he ran his lifetime best of 2:07:11 to clinch the men’s race, Kotut revealed his decision to skip the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff, UK handsomely paid off.

Kotut, women’s champion Visiline Jepkesho and other Kenyan runners who excelled in Paris were hosted by President Uhuru and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta who landed in Paris shortly after their commanding performance.

“I did not expect much from the race especially because I’d had a difficult time knocking off my injury. I think it’s just luck and because I aptly stuck to my coach’s training program,” said the younger brother of Lel – who is also a two-time champion in New York and the 2007/08 World Marathon Majors USD500,000 winner said.

And speaking from Eldoret, his coach, Italian Claudio Berardelli also admitted to his shock saying that his athlete was not ‘fully ready’ for Paris.

Kotut had been out for three months due to a hamstring injury he picked up during his debut marathon at the 2015 Milan Marathon, Italy (where he won silver with 2:08:55) before adding the marathon title to his Paris Half Marathon crown he took on March 6 where he ran 61:00.

“In all honesty there are other good runners in our camp, the likes of Evans Kiplagat (who posted a time of 2:05 in Seoul) and Solomon Kirwa. It’s a big achievement for him and he’s surprised us all,” added Berardelli.

The new Paris champion told he requested the Athletics Kenya to leave him out of the Cardiff team in order to concentrate on the Paris Marathon, a move he says richly paid off.

Kotut credited his famous brother and coach as being integral parts of his young career, thanking them for their advice.

Having graduated from Cheptil Mixed Secondary School

with a B- (minus) in his KCSE, a result that denied him direct entry to a public university, Kotut says he chose the sport to avoid the trouble of having to bother his kin with varsity fees issues.

Following his recent success, Kotut hopes to go back to school as soon as he decides on a suitable career.

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