Why Ugandan Rotich outclassed home talent at Nairobi City Marathon

Nairobi City Marathon

ATHLETICS Why Ugandan Rotich outclassed home talent at Nairobi City Marathon

Abigael Wafula 17:00 - 02.07.2023

Rotich outclassed Kenyans to clinch the title in style clocking 1:00:10 to cut the tape ahead of the duo of Vincent Kipkorir and Kennedy Kimutai.

Ugandan road runner Maxwell Rotich has attributed insane hard work for his eye catching victory in Kenya's capital.

Rotich outclassed Kenyans to clinch the title in style clocking 1:00:10 to cut the tape ahead of the duo of Vincent Kipkorir and Kennedy Kimutai who finished second (1:01:18) and third (1:01:24) respectively.

With the extensive training he had done, Rotich noted that there is no athlete who posed a threat to him despite him being a ‘foreigner’ in a Kenyan-dominated field.

“I have been training well in preparation for this race…I used to train twice a day. I came to train in Iten for some time and I am glad my effort and hard work paid off well. In the race, there was no competitor who posed as a threat to me,” bullish Rotich said in a post-race interview.

The 24-year-old revealed that he was just trying out his luck in the streets of Nairobi for the first time and he was lucky to have clinched the title despite the weather being too heavy for him. However, he noted that the course

He added that he was lagging behind for the better part of the first few kilometers into the race but he took a leap of faith at around the 10km mark and pushed himself, a move that saw him emerge victorious.

“The course was great but the weather was a bit challenging for me to navigate. I took charge at around the 10km mark and didn’t look back when I took the mantle. I was just here to try my luck and I’m delighted to have won,” he said.

This marks Rotich’s first win since the season started. He finished second in both the Corrida de Reis 10km race and the Prague Half Marathon. He revealed that he has not planned on any race going forward. With the win, Rotich will walk away with Ksh 150,000.