NAIROBI — World marathon record holder Patrick Makau was left out of the Kenyan men’s team named yesterday for the London Olympics after he failed to finish last Sunday’s London Marathon.
Wilson Kiplagat, who won Sunday’s race, and twice world champion Abel Kirui, who finished sixth, will represent Kenya in London along with Moses Mosop who finished third in the Rotterdam Marathon this month.
Kipsang set the second fastest time ever when he clocked two hours three minutes 42secs in Frankfurt last October.
Makau set his world record of 2:03,38secs in Berlin in the previous month.
The first three woman home in Sunday’s race; defending champion Mary Keitany, world champion Edna Kiplagat and world silver medallist Priscah Jeptoo were each selected for the games.
Geoffrey Mutai, winner of the New York and Boston marathons last year and Emmamuel Mutai, who won London last year but finished seventh on Sunday, were excluded from the men’s team although they had been included on a provisional list released this year.
Samuel Wanjiru, who plunged to his death from the first floor balcony of his home last year after his wife found him in bed with another woman, won Kenya’s first men’s marathon gold in Beijing four years ago.
Athletics Kenya will name the men’s 10 000m team for the Games on June 2 at the Prefontaine Diamond League Meeting in Oregon while the remainder of the team will be named on June 23 after the final trials.
