After 16 years of glitz and glamour, Kemboi finally quits steeplechase

Kenya's Ezekiel Kemboi salutes the crowd after the final of the men's 3,000m steeplechase at the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium in London on August 8, 2017. PHOTO | ANDREJ ISAKOVIC | AFP

What you need to know:

  • He has a personal best time of seven minutes, 55.76 seconds which he clocked in Monaco on July 22, 2011.
  • The Boston and London marathons are the the traditionally big marathons in the month of April.

IN LONDON

After an illustrious career that has seen him bag medals for the last 16 years, Ezekiel Kemboi, the world’s most decorated 3,000 metres steeplechase runner, has quit the track and will shift to the road for his first marathon in April.

The 35-year-old policeman attached to the Presidential Escort Unit, finished 11th in the final of this year’s World Championships here Tuesday night in a dramatic race won by Kenya’s Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto.

Kenya's Conseslus Kipruto celebrates winning the final of the men's 3,000m steeplechase athletics event at the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium in London on August 8, 2017. PHOTO | ANDREJ ISAKOVIC | AFP

Kenya's Conseslus Kipruto celebrates winning the final of the men's 3,000m steeplechase athletics event at the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium in London on August 8, 2017. PHOTO | ANDREJ ISAKOVIC | AFP

Kenya's Conseslus Kipruto (centre) celebrates winning the final of the men's 3,000m steeplechase at the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium in London on August 8, 2017. PHOTO | GLYN KIRK | AFP

Kemboi boasts of being the only athlete who has won four consecutive world track medals in the same event which come alongside two Olympic gold medals.

He has a personal best time of seven minutes, 55.76 seconds which he clocked in Monaco on July 22, 2011.

His longest race up the distance so far has been the 5,000m where he has a personal best time of 13:50.61 also clocked in 2011.

“It was my final steeplechase race and in next year April, I will run in my first marathon – I’m done with the 3,000 metres steeplechase,” Kemboi said but would not divulge details of which marathon he has signed him up.

Ezekiel Kemboi fields questions in his final steeplechase post race interview on August 8, 2017 at the London Stadium. PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The Boston and London marathons are the the traditionally big marathons in the month of April.

Kipruto, like Kemboi attached to the Kenya Police Service, won the race in 8:14.12 with Morocco's Soufiane Elbakkali (8:14.49) bagging silver and America’s pre-race threat Evan Jager (8:15.53) taking bronze.

Kemboi’s 11th place time was 8:29.38.

HAPPY TO STEP OUT

Having earlier quit after bagging bronze at last year’s Olympics, the charismatic Kemboi rescinded his decision after being stripped of the medal for a lane infringement and says he wasn’t disappointed at all for not making the podium in London.

“This is my eighth World Championship and for the other guys it’s the second or third, so I’m happy because its been a long career." "Four times world champion, two times Olympic champion… this makes me happy.”

Interestingly, when Kemboi won his first major race, at the 2001 Africa Junior Championships, Kipruto was just seven years old.

Little wonder Kemboi's nickname is "Baba Yao", or the father of them all, in reference to his status among Kenyan athletes.

“It’s been a long and rewarding career,” he said and would not be drawn into saying which has been the best race of his steeplechase career.

“Each and every race is my best,” he said, adding that he’s happy he’s left steeplechase, Kenya’s stronghold, in good hands but warned it won’t be business as usual.

“We have to modify our training and coach the athletes coming up properly.”