Africa-Press – Uganda. Perhaps, quite a number of people are yet to fully witness Jacob Kiplimo’s potential.
The Ugandan long-distance runner has done incredibly well on road but since he moved to the senior ranks, he is yet to hit full gear on track.
It is why some bookmakers think this 20-year-old could throw a big surprise over 10000m final he makes his second appearance at the Olympics Games in Tokyo, Japan next month.
The world half-marathon champion will tonight line-up at the Spitzen Leichtathletik meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland with the hope of sealing another place at the Olympics, this time over the 5000m.
“The target is the minimum for the Olympics,” said his manager Italian Beppe Picotti. Kiplimo must run under the qualifying time of 13 minutes and 13.50 seconds to confirm his double pursuit in Tokyo and tonight is the deadline for qualification.
Only Oscar Chelimo and Joshua Cheptegei have filled two of the available three quota places for Uganda for the men’s 5000m in Tokyo.The field in Lucerne is not the most attractive but Kiplimo’s ambitions place the Meeting Record (MR) over the 12-and-a-half-lap race right within his reach.
“He may move alone if the pace is not secure,” said Picotti. Dutchman Gert-Jan Liefers holds the MR at 13:22.26 which he posted on June 14, 2005.To book his 10000m ticket to the Olympics, Kiplimo still ran solo after the 4000m mark to win the 25-lap race in the seventh-fastest time ever of 26:33.93 at the Ostrava Golden Spike Meeting in Czech Republic on May 19.That performance in Ostrava ranks in-form Kiplimo as number one in the world over the 10000m distance.
Kiplimo also has a personal best of 12:48.63 over the 5000m which he posted in Ostrava last September and it is ranked as the 13th fastest time ever.It is however 18 micro-seconds shy of this year’s world leading time 12:48.45 set by Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen who won the Rome Diamond League in Italy on June 10.
KIPLIMO AT A GLANCE
Date of birth: November 14, 2000Major events: 5000m, 10000mCoach: Iacorpo BrasiPersonal Bests: 7:26.64 (3000m), 12:48.63 (5000m), 26:33.93 (10000m)Manager: Federico RosaManagement: Rosa Associati
KIPLIMO AT MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS2020 World Half-Marathon Champs: 1st (Men’s 21km)2019 World Cross-country: 2nd (Senior Men’s 10km)2018 World Jnr Champs: 2nd (10000m), 6th (5000m)2018 Commonwealth Games: 4th (10000m)2017 London World Champs: 22nd (10000m Heats)2016 Rio Olympics: 26th (5000m Heats)
2016 World Jnr Champs: 3rd (10000m) [email protected]
