Benjamin Kigen reveals why he ditched steeplechase for marathon
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 24.11.24. | 15:50
The former Olympic bronze medalist marked his debut in marathon running with a silver medal
Economic hardships compelled the 2020 Tokyo Olympics 3,000m Steeplechase bronze medalist Benjamin Kigen to ditch the water and barrier race for full marathon.
Kigen, who enjoyed massive success on the track, made the daring career move in September, relocating from Rongai to Iten for specialized marathon training.
The 2019 African Games gold medalist savored the first fruits of his switch from the track to the road after finishing second in the Iten International Marathon.
Kigen clocked 2:14:29 for the second-place finish with Justus Kiprotich winning the race in 2:14:04. Joel Kimutai was third in 2:14:39.
The 31-year-old admitted that the allure of making a killing through road races and the tough economic times partly played for his transition.
Ordinarily, road races earn athletes better financial returns than track events.
" The tough economic times we are living in informed my decision to move to road racing. You have to give your best from where you get your daily bread," he opened up.
Besides that, Kigen attributed age and the emergence of young athletes, whom he tipped to reclaim the lost glory in the specialty, in before advancing to the roads.
The 2019 Military World Games champion said he was satisfied that the future of steeplechase running was in safe hands and that, the budding athletes will reclaim the titles Kenya has lost.
" I also considered my age before making the decision. The competition was also too much and I had to join my peers in marathon. It is important for athletes to understand and know the right time to transition or make big career moves," said Kigen.
Asked the challenges he has had to grapple with since making the shift, Kigen conceded that marathon training was unforgiving.
" Marathon training is not for the faint hearted. It is not easy at all as you have to sacrifice a lot. Fortunately, where I come from and my background does not allow me to give up," he said.
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