5 Kenyan-Born Male Marathoners Fail to Secure Spots in US Olympic Team as Sally Kipyego Qualifies

Five Kenyan-born male marathoners failed to make it to the US Olympics team after they finished outside the cut-off.

Elkanah Kibet, Augustus Maiyo, Leonard Korir, Samuel Kosgei, and Haron Lagat, all members of the US Army, failed to secure a spot in the team that will represent the US at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Galen Rupp, Jacob Riley, and Abdi Abdirahman scooped the three places set aside for men’s marathon ahead of Korir and Maiyo, who finished fourth and fifth respectively. Lagat was 13th while Kibet finished 16th.

Rupp crossed the finish line in 2:09:20 ahead of Riley (2:10:02) and Abdi Abdirahman (2:10:03).

In the women’s marathon, Kenyan-born Sally Kipyego booked a place in the team after finishing third behind Aliphine Tuliamuk and Molly Seidel. Tuliamuk, 30, finished in 2:27:23, seven seconds ahead of Seidel while Kipyego was third in 2:28:52.

This will be Kipeygo’s second Olympics after winning the 2012 Olympic 10,000m silver medal for Kenya. The 34-year-old acquired US citizenship in 2017.