Kigen remains positive despite Monaco debacle

Going to the Monaco Herculis Diamond League (DL) meeting as one of the favourites in men's 3000m steeplechase, Benjamin Kigen's focus was not so much on winning but gauging how his recovery from a nagging hamstring injury was coming along as he prepares to defend Kenya's Olympic gold in the event. 

Kigen had qualified for the Tokyo Games behind World Under-20 steeplechase silver medalist Leonard Bett and Commonwealth Games silver medalist Abraham Kibiwott, a feat he says came as a surprise as he had made peace with the possibility of missing out on the Olympic slot due to the injury. 

Going to Monaco few weeks after qualification, he felt ready to go flat-out and push his body just to the limits 

"I felt good at the start of the race and I knew I was strong enough to handle the stellar field that had lined up in Monaco. I have made it a habit not to check my watch as I run, I find it distracting so I focus on the laps as directed by the officials and reserve my energy accordingly," offered Kigen. 

"I had attained a lead and I knew I was going to win," he continues. "I went for a finishing kick, running a fast 57 seconds lap as I imagined I was going for the finish line. Boy was I surprised." 

As he got to what he had imagined was the finish line, he slowed down and as if to atone for his sins the bell ringer kept ringing the bell, even louder and longer than is the normal. 

"He kept telling me go and I got confused! 'Go where?' I was waiting for my flowers after a win!," narrates the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) athlete. "I was spent and I did not think I would recover so I was ready to tap out. It took the efforts of Kibiwott who got to me and urged me to finish. I was disappointed as anyone would be in my situation."

Kigen, who only got one of the race organisers offering an apology and promising to 'get to the bottom of what happened' says he takes comfort in the fact that he's still managed to run a fast 8:15.07, a time faster than the Olympics trials winning time. 

"The disappointment aside, the race just proved my form is back and now all I need to work on is my endurance and lapping ahead of the Olympics. I will not be taking part in other competition before the Games," he continues. 

The 27-year old has no time to rest or even mourn his loss, as he landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Saturday, 10 July at 23.30hrs and six hours later, he was back in training. 

"There is no resting with the Olympic Games fast approaching," he concludes.