Mozzart Sport writers' biggest flop of Paris 2024 Olympics

With the dust having settled on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Mozzart Sport writers embark on a series of articles to review the 33rd edition of the Games.

In this particular article, our writers pick their biggest flop by a Kenyan athlete at the Games with mixed submissions being filed.

Despite picking the flops, we are all proud of our athletes and how they performed in the Games irrespective of their final positions and are well aware that they gave their best.

KEVIN TEYA (Amos Serem)

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Unfortunately, this title goes to Amos Serem, who competed in the 3000m steeplechase and finished 14th, beating only one competitor, Leonard Chemutai of Uganda.

While it might be easy to point fingers at Eliud Kipchoge, who did not finish the marathon, or Peres Jepchirchir, who failed to defend her marathon title, Serem’s finish in a race that has been a stronghold for Kenya for decades makes him the undisputed flop of the tournament.

SAMMY GITAHI (Eliud Kipchoge)

Asked this question before last weekend, the answer would have arguably been Malkia Strikers, not necessarily on dimmed expectations, but by the worrying nature in which they folded, failing to win a game or a set yet again in back-to-back Olympics.

But since the weekend came and passed, the overwhelming candidate here is marathoner Eliud Kipchoge.

All the race build-up, and rightly so, was about the Greatest of All Time who was about to cement his status by becoming the first man to win three consecutive Olympic golds in the distance.

However, the 39-year-old quit shortly after the 31km mark, recording his worst-ever marathon appearance.

He might have not come in as a big favourite, but a DNF? Did not see that being the lowest of bars.

MESHACK KISENGE (Ferdinand Omanyala)

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I was not expecting Ferdinand Omanyala to bid the Games farewell early.

He was not coming to the Games as a rookie given that he was in Tokyo three years ago and reached the final of the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

The times he had posted before the Games gave me hope of competing for medals and reaching the final at the very least.

However, the competitive nature of sports was unkind to the fastest man on the continent who was floored in the semis.

Thankfully age is on his side and I believe he will make amends in Tokyo 2025.

BRIAN ODHIAMBO (Timothy Cheruiyot)

Before the Olympics, one thing I was certain about was Kenya bagging gold if not a medal in the 1500m men's event.

The middle distance race team led by Olympic silver medalist Timothy Cheruiyot gave me goosebumps as I thought about the prospect of the 2022 Commonwealth Games runners-up finally clinching the prestigious medal which is missing in his exemplary career.

But as fate would be, let us say so, Cheruiyot was unable to match other athletes in the final lap, coming eleventh ahead of compatriot Brian Komen in a time of 3:31.35.

It meant that once again, we were not picking a medal from a race we have dominated over the years. At a point, just like Peres Jepchirchir, in the women's marathon, that race from Cheruiyot was disappointing to watch and unfortunately, he is my flop of the tournament.

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IMRAN OTIENO (1500m trio)

Only the partisan Kenyan athletics fans had hope in the men's 1500m after all three entrants struggled through the season.

Reynold Cheruiyot dropped off in the semis after finishing 10th while Brian Komen and Timothy Cheruiyot managed to barely speak through to the final.

What I was disappointed about was the two finalists finishing in the last two positions such an unfamiliar territory for Kenyan athletes in middle and long distance races.

LYNETTE MATHEKA (Peres Jepchirchir)

She won the 2024 London Marathon, finishing in 2:16:16 seconds, breaking the women's only world record (that is, the world record for the fastest time by a female marathon runner without using male pacemakers), but seeing Peres Jepchirchir, the defending champion finish outside the top 10 was surprising.

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After almost 34 kilometres, Jepchirchir started falling back and was unable to recover, finishing 15th.

A lot of expectation on the defending champion but the course had its say.