The immediate former 3,000 steeplechase Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi of Kenya is out of contention for the third gold in the discipline after the IAAF ruled he had breached race rules by stepping off the track.
‘Under race rules, runners cannot step off the inside edge of the track when running around bends,’ the IAAF appeal jury ruled in respect to a complaint lodged by Frenchman Mahedini Mekhissi against the double Olympic gold medalist Kemboi. Mekhissi was elevated, earning a bronze medal in the race that was eventually won by Kemboi’s compatriot Consenslus Kipruto.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, August 21 Ugandan marathon Olympic champion Stephen Kiprotich will take to the streets of Rio de Janeiro to defend his title, won in London in 2012. The Olympic and World champion leads a three-man team that includes Jackson Kiprop and Solomon Mutai.
