Benson Kipruto Eyes Next Opportunity After Missing London

Benson Kipruto

Benson Kipruto Eyes Next Opportunity After Missing London

Festus Chuma 22:50 - 29.04.2025

Benson Kipruto sharpens his form after setbacks, quietly preparing for a major marathon and a shot at World Championships glory.

Olympic marathon bronze medallist Benson Kipruto has set his sights firmly on his next big opportunity after missing out on the 2025 London Marathon, with his ultimate focus now on qualifying for the World Championships in Tokyo later this year.

The 33-year-old long-distance runner made an impressive Team Kenya and Olympic Games debut at the Paris Olympics last year, securing bronze in a tactical race with a time of 2:07:00.

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Kiprtuto finished behind Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola (2:06:26) and Belgium’s Bashir Abdi (2:06:47), showcasing his ability to deliver on the world stage.

“My target for this year is to represent Kenya at the World Championships and get a podium finish at a major marathon,” Kipruto said as per The Star.

Kipruto earned his place for Paris after an outstanding run at the 2024 Tokyo Marathon, clocking a superb 2:02:16 to lead a Kenyan podium sweep alongside Timothy Kiplagat and Vincent Ngetich.

His performance was well under the 2:06:30 entry standard for the upcoming global showpiece in Tokyo, and he remains eager to return to the Japanese capital—this time in pursuit of a world title.

Although he has not revealed his next competitive appearance, Kipruto hinted at a major outing soon.

“You will be seeing me soon in one of the major marathons. I will reveal that at a later date,” he added.

After a strong 2024 season, Kipruto’s 2025 campaign started with a setback at the Tokyo Marathon on March 2, where he finished seventh in 2:05:46.

Ethiopian runners Tadese Takele and Deresa Geleta took the top two spots, while Vincent Ngetich claimed third. Kipruto admitted that challenging weather conditions hampered his performance.

“Tokyo was not that good this year. The weather was not favourable for me, my body did not respond well. My performance was not that good, but that is also a learning curve,” he said.

Following the disappointment, Kipruto took a brief rest before resuming intense training. He is now fully focused on building mileage and sharpening his speed as he prepares for another shot at the big stage.

“I want to get more mileage and sharpen up some other key areas in my training, like speed. I am targeting a podium in the next major marathon I race in,” he noted.

Kipruto’s growing list of accolades includes recognition at the 2024 Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYA), where he finished third in the Sportsman of the Year category.

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