Paris Games in three years’ time might be the ideal for celebrated athlete to make debut in marathon
After producing a new personal best in 10,000m, two-time Olympic silver medalist Hellen Obiri will transition into road racing.
Paris Games in three years time might be the ideal opportunity for the celebrated athlete to make a debut in the road race.
This was her candid assessment from Obiri after finishing outside the medal bracket in the women’s 10,000m final on the penultimate day of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.
“If I were to go back to that race, there was nothing I could have done differently. I tried to keep up with the pace which was, for lack of a better word, suicidal.
I did everything until the final five laps,” she reflected on the race where she finished fourth in a best time of 30:24.27.
“I quit the track happy knowing I have accomplished so much. It is time for the next generation of athletes to come up,” said Obiri who in 2019 won the World Cross Country Championships to become the first female athlete to win gold on the track, indoor and cross country.
The two-time world champion over 5,000m believes Paris 2024 might be her fourth appearance at the Games and first in a marathon.
“Of Course I want to race in Paris,” said Obiri when asked about her plans.
“But we all know that entirely depends on how my transition goes. I debuted in the road race at the Istanbul half marathon few months ago, I think I have potential there too, I want to follow in the footsteps of athletes like Vivian Cheruiyot who made swift transition,” added the reigning world cross country winner who has also retired from the discipline to leave it for youngsters to also make a name there.
Obiri who won silver in the women’s 5,000m final last week put up a brave show in the brutal race in which Ethiopia’s Letensebet Gidey paced until 100m bvefore she was overtaken by eventual winner Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands.
The Ethiopian world record holder was unlucky to only finish with a bronze medal after doing most of the running with Hassan only happy to dash for gold with 100m to go.
Bahrain’s Kalkidan Gezehegne finished in second place to take the silver medal.
Hassan clocked 29:55.32 for the gold medal while Gezehegne crossed the line in 29:56.16 for the silver medal with Gidey’s 30:01.42 only good enough for bronze medal position.
Kenya’s Irene Cheptai finished in sixth place after 30:44.00 which was her new personal best time while two-time national cross country winner Sheila Chelangat placed 16th in 31:48.23.
