Why 2024 Boston Marathon is special for Kenya’s Evans Chebet
27th March 2024
Chebet won the last two editions of the Boston Marathon and will be seeking to make history in the 2024 edition.
- Chebet is seeking to become the fifth person to win the Boston Marathon three times since its inception.
- Robert Cheruiyot and Cosmas Ndeti are the only other Kenyans who have achieved that feat before.
- The 2024 Boston Marathon edition has attracted a stellar field that has the likes of Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma and Kenya’s Albert Korir.
The second World Marathon Majors Road race of the year is
around the corner.
In less than three weeks, elite marathoners from different
regions of the universe will battle it out for the top prize at the 2024 Boston
Marathon slated for April 15.
Among them will be the two-time winner Evans Chebet, who
trains in Nandi County alongside the likes of the recently crowned Tokyo
Marathon champion Benson Kipruto.
Chebet, who has been backed by most athletics fans to
replace the late Kelvin Kiptum in Kenya’s 2024 Paris Olympic Games provisional
marathon team, will be seeking to achieve an incredible feat in the streets of
Boston.
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The 35-year-old aims to become the fifth person, and the
third Kenyan man to win the prestigious title three times.
Other individuals who have won the Boston Marathon thrice in
the past include the Kenyan duo of Cosmas Ndeti and Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot,
Clarence Demar and Bill Rodgers.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming showdown, Chebet was
confident of adding another Boston Marathon win to his remarkable running
career.
“Boston has become like a second home to me. Even after
having run 18 marathons during my career, the chance to race in Boston and the
fans there give me the motivation necessary to prepare and defend my title.
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I look forward to hitting the streets there this spring and
hearing the enthusiastic crowds along the course,” he was quoted by the
organizers.
Chebet won his maiden Boston Marathon title in 2022 before
defending it in impressive fashion last year.
At the 2023 edition, he won the race in an impeccable style,
beating the likes of former world record holder Eliud Kipchoge in the process.
Chebet ran a calculated race and went on to cross the
finishing line in a time of 2:05.54 ahead of Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay and
Kipruto.
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He is expected to go head-to-head with a strong field this
year. Some of the runners, who have already been confirmed for the race include
the Ethiopian trio of Shura Kitata, Haftu Teklu and Sisay Lemma.
Albert Korir, Cyprian Kotut, Ronald Korir and Joshua Belet
are also set to be in the starting lineup in Boston.
A win for Chebet will not only make him enter into the history books of road race running but also increase his chances of being named in Kenya’s squad for Paris Olympic Games.
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