CyBrian Kotut admitted it was tough to drop Ethiopian rival Milkesa Mengesha at the Berlin Marathon, ultimately losing in a tight race despite leading most of the way and employing all his tactics.
CyBrian Kotut has opened up on how tough it was to drop Ethiopian rival Milkesa Mengesha at the just concluded Berlin Marathon.
Kotut noted that he was confident of bagging the title and continuing with Eliud Kipchoge’s legacy but as they approached the finish line, Mengesha outsmarted him and carried the day in the tight race.
The Kenyan marathon running ace explained that all his strategies had worked out, including making sure he was in the lead throughout the race and dropping most of his competitors but beating his Ethiopian rival became difficult.
05:42 - 30.09.2024
CyBrian Kotut reveals strategy behind impressive second place finish at Berlin Marathon
Kenyan marathoner CyBrian Kotut has shared how he managed to floor most of his rials to clinch second place at the prestigious Berlin Marathon on Sunday.
“I was feeling like I could win the race, when I was approaching the finish line I was like we got this thing and we (Kenya) will win this. The Ethiopian guy was a better man and I want to say this frankly because I tried my best, I gave my best and tried all tactics,” Kotut admitted in an interview with Nation Sport.
“I tried to break the group and make sure I was 100% sure to be on the podium and have at least three competitors when approaching 30km. I tried to drop the Ethiopian but it proved tough,” he added.
Kotut started his season with a ninth-place finish at the Boston Marathon and going into Berlin he wanted to prove a point. He did not change much of his training and noted that everything was perfectly done in training and he was ready for the challenge.
06:44 - 30.09.2024
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CyBrian Kotut was beaten by Milkesa Mengesha to the title by just five seconds after the Ethiopian pulled clear in the final stretch.
In Boston, Kotut pointed out that he lacked the experience of running in such a course hence the struggle and distant finish.
“When I was going for Boston, I had trained very well like I had done for Berlin…I had similar training and had done everything perfectly. Boston became a little tough for me because of the kind of experience I needed to have before going for the competition,” Kotut shared.