The Ugandan runner will not be travelling to Budapest which might help Kenya’s medal prospects in the two races which have proved problematic down the years
Kenya's chances of winning the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m at the World Championships have increased after Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo was forced to withdraw due to an injury.
The reigning World Cross-country champion was going to the global showpiece as a double threat since he was competing in both events. During the World Championships last year, he competed in the 10,000m and finished third.
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In a statement released by the Uganda Athletics Federation, it was noted that Kiplimo sustained the injury on August 1 while in training at the high-altitude, Kapchorwa in Eastern Uganda.
In the men’s 5,000m, Nicholas Kimeli, Jacob Krop, and Daniel Simiu are expected to raise Kenya flag. Cornelius Kemboi is also in the mix.
In the 10,000m, Kimeli and Simiu will be in action and they will be joined by Japan-based Bernard Kibet.
The last time Kenya won a gold medal at the World Championships in the 10,000m was during the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Canada. In the 5,000m, the last time a gold medal was won for Kenya was at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
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However, the withdrawal of Kiplimo does not mean the Kenyans will have it easy since there are also other threats. Reigning World 5,000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei are hot favourites.