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Despite missing out on the gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games, Sharon Lokedi has lauded Peres Jepchirchir and Hellen Obiri for their efforts in the women's marathon.
Sharon Lokedi has lauded Kenya's women marathon team for putting up a good fight at the Paris 2024 Olympics despite winning a bronze medal through Hellen Obiri.
Sifan Hassan achieved a historical feat in the race, clocking an Olympic record time of 2:22:55 to win the race ahead of Tigst Assefa and HObiri who finished second and third in respective times of 2:22:58 and 2:23:10.
Lokedi clocked a personal best time of 2:23:14 for a fourth-place finish. Another Kenyan in the race, defending champion Peres Jepchirchir finished distant 15th in a time of 2:26:51.
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15:20 - 12.08.2024
Sharon Lokedi on how Hellen Obiri's unfortunate falls forced her to sacrifice her Olympic ambitions
Sharon Lokedi has admitted Obiri's unfortunate falls forced her into changing her tactics in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympics.
“Going into the race, I knew it was going to be tough and I wanted to just do it. I knew that the gold medal did not have anyone’s name on it and I had to fight for it. I really wanted the gold and we fought for the gold and we tried as a team,” Lokedi said.
She added that being included in the team late did not contribute to her finishing outside the podium as she had to work on her confidence and intensify her training ahead of the duel.
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She was aware of the tough test that awaited her and had to work around the clock to impress. Lokedi pointed out that support from her coach and training partners played a huge role in her performance on the Olympic stage.
Before toeing the line on race day, the 30-year-old disclosed that she talked with her compatriots who were also confident of a podium sweep.
“Going in, we wanted the best for the team and after being selected, I had to boost my confidence. I had to show up and when we started training, we started communicating and we had excellent support from our coaches and training partners,” Lokedi said.
“I just knew I had to bring my A-game when it mattered. On Sunday, we all talked together and we planned and agreed that we needed to do great things. We tried our best. I think it’s about believing in yourself and knowing that anything is possible,” she added.
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08:30 - 13.08.2024
Hellen Obiri recounts how she overcame two tragic falls to win Olympic marathon bronze medal
Hellen Obiri has narrated how she overcame two tragic falls during the Olympic marathon to win a bronze medal in the race.
Lokedi explained that as they approached the finish line, she knew things would be tough since Obiri and Hassan usually have strong finishes.
“Late in the race, I knew that it was going to be hard because of the sprinters in the race. I just told myself to run as fast as I could. The pace was tough but I was also strong. I didn’t have enough to get me there. I promise that I’ll keep getting better as the race progresses and there is nothing you can’t do as a team,” she said.
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