Kenyan Champ Kipruto targets medal at rescheduled Boston marathon

NAIROBI - Former Toronto marathon champion Benson Kipruto has returned to training as he tries to regain fitness and compete in Boston after the race was rescheduled to September.

Kipruto, the tenth finisher in last year's Boston marathon, believes with better weather, he can improve on his time and position on return to the United States.

Organizers of the Boston marathon have rescheduled the event to Sept 14 from April 20 due to COVID-19.

"Boston was to offer me a chance to springboard my career. But the good thing is it will be returning in September, and I want to utilize the chance to stage a better show, run a fast time and prove my critics wrong," Kipruto said on Monday from Eldoret.

The 28-year-old had lost interest in training when COVID-19 wrecked the sports calendar, but he has returned to training now that World Athletics (WA) has confirmed the return of track and field competition in the Diamond League.

"Today, I train once a day, to keep fit. But I had done a lot in preparing for the Boston marathon and it will not be hard to pick up the pace and work around the clock to attain the optimum fitness to challenge for the medal," said Kipruto.

This year, Kipruto competed at the International Guadalajara Half marathon race in Mexico in February winning in a time of 62 minutes 13 seconds.

"It is important to be careful not to incur any new injuries, even now that we have cut down the training sessions," he added.

In Boston, Kipruto will come up against champion Lawrence Cherono, silver medalist Lelisa Deasisa of Ethiopia, Yuki Kawauchi of Japan and 2017 World Athletics Championships gold medalist Geoffrey Kirui of Kenya.

Throw in former Olympic champion Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda, New York marathon silver medalist Albert Korir, Ethiopian Dejene Debela, runner-up to Cherono by one second in Chicago Marathon, Kenneth Kipkemoi, Philemon Rono and Felix Kandie, it is sure to be a hard fought contest.