Mathew Kimeli reveals what cost him victory at Mozzart Bet Chemususu Half Marathon
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 20.11.25. | 18:25
Failing to finish the Valencia Marathon and placing 13th in the Barcelona Half Marathon are a testament to the impact the injury had in his career
Mathew Kimeli had every reason to believe that the 2025 Mozzart Bet Chemususu Dam Half Marathon's gold medal would be his to lose, until his fitness took a turn for the worse in late last year.
Kimeli had begun plotting for the men's title as early as 2024, underscoring his resolve to notch his first half-marathon win since venturing into road running in 2017.
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However, his early preparations were cut short by a right-leg tendon injury suffered while training in Iten.
Initially, the 26-year-old thought that the setback would keep him off the road for a couple of weeks, if not months.
That was not the case, as it took him months to fully recover, and when he did, the discomfort kept creeping back, denying him an opportunity to participate in the races he had planned for in the first quarter of the year.
Despite the recurring injury, Kimeli never gave up, although he acknowledges that the time lost in rehabilitation had a significant impact on his rhythm and form.
Failing to finish the Valencia Marathon and placing 13th in the Barcelona Half Marathon are a testament to the impact the injury had on his career.
The long-held plan to mine gold in Chemususu almost every year nearly came to pass for Kimeli, as he finished second, behind Wisley Kipkemoi, who defended his title.
Kimeli clocked 1:04:53, with Kipkemoi taking the gold home and Ksh300,000 after timing 1:04:33. Victor Kipchichir was third in 1:05:15.
The Sammy Bii-coached athlete feels that he would have gone a step higher on the podium had the injury not disrupted his plan.
"I am pleased to have finished second after having a difficult year. I ran cautiously, as the injury keeps recurring whenever I push hard. I believe I could have won if I were fully prepared for it," said Kimeli.
The Iten-based runner was nowhere near the podium places in the first half of the race, which witnessed lung-bursting pace from the leading pack.
He closed in after the penultimate water point, but his late kick was not strong enough to deny Kipkemoi and his second title.
"You can not go all out when you have had a long battle with an injury. I had a slow start as I was paying attention to how my body would react in the first 15 kilometres. It would have been a different story if I had not run cautiously for the better part of the race," he added.
