In Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Some seven years ago, Timothy Kiplangat earned Sh2,500 per month taking care of athletics coach Nahashon Kibon’s livestock at Eldoret’s Upper Hill area.

He only started training in 2016, and even then leisurely, just for the fun of it.
But Kibon, well known in athletics circles for his eye for talent and mentorship role, urged Kiplangat to take up running a little bit more seriously.

And in 2021, Kiplangat, 29, made his first major breakthrough, finishing third at the Eindhoven Marathon in The Netherlands with a personal best time of two hours, seven minutes and one second.

And last year, starting off as a pacemaker, he broke away at the 30-kilometre mark to race a personal best 2:05:20 in winning the Abu Dhabi Marathon, also having won the Melbourne Marathon in Australia.

On Sunday, the former herdsman improved his personal best time to 2:03:50 in finishing just three seconds behind Belgium’s race winner Abdi Bashir (2:03:47) with Dutchman securing the hosts a final podium place in 2:05:32.

Kiplangat now wants to decorate his fairytale journey with a chance to represent Kenya at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August.

Kenya-born Bahraini Eunice Chumba (2:20:31) won the women’s race, falling outside the intended course record 2:18:58 set by Ethiopia’s Tiki Gelana in 2012.

Fellow Kenya-born Bahraini Rose Chelimo was third (2:26:21) with Ethiopia’s Tesfu Teklegerish sandwiched between the two naturalized Asians in second place (2:21:35) under chilly and cloudy conditions that ensured the course records were safe.

Kiplangat mistimed his breakaway at 30km, hoping to shake off Bashir, a bronze medallist at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and course record holder in Rotterdam with a 2:03:36 set in 2021.

“I tried to shake him off but he held on and beat me on the home straight… I wish I had timed my race differently,” said Kiplangat.

“I now hope the Athletics Kenya selectors will give me a chance to represent my country at the World Championships in Budapest where I promise not to disappoint,” said Kiplangat who trains in Kaptagat under coach Nicholas Koech Chemogas.

He had mixed feelings over the chilly race day conditions.

“When I saw the morning drizzle, I knew it would be tough but all of a sudden, the conditions changed as we got to the halfway mark (in 62:15).

“I knew Bashir and Nageeye were both strong so I wanted to push so that I can live to fight in the latter stages of the race, but I failed to drop Bashir who kept narrowing the gap.

“But I’m happy to run a 2:03 personal best which gives me a good chance for my manager and Athletics Kenya to consider me for a place in the World Championships team,” said Kiplangat whose training partners at the Rosa Camp in Kaptagat include Elisha Kipchirchir and Joel Kimurer.

“According to my training and my last three races, there is a lot of improvement and by World Championship time, miracles will happen,” he added.

Somali-born Bashir, 34, who migrated to Belgium as a toddler, starting out as a footballer, celebrated his latest triumph by running a lap of honour with his four-year-old daughter Khatra and welcoming her to the medals podium.

But said he would not travel to Budapest, opting to focus on preparations for next year’s Paris Olympics.

“I’ve missed my family a lot for the last six weeks when I’ve been in training and it was great seeing them again today,” said Bashir.

“I’m not going to Budapest, because it will be quite hot there too, and I will focus on Paris.”

Ethiopia-born Dutchman Nageeye, also 34, said he would travel to Iten to launch his preparations for the World Championships.

“I prefer Iten, the home of champions, to Addis Ababa as the air is good and you don’t have eight million people around (like Addis),” he said.

Nageeye, a teammate of Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge at the NN Running Team, also noted that he will be pushing athletes from Somali and Djibouti to qualify for the World Championships.

He, meanwhile, tipped Kipchoge to win Monday’s Boston Marathon in a course record time.

Leading results from the Rotterdam Marathon;

Men:
1.    Bashir Abdi (Belgium) 2:03:47

2.    TImothy Kiplangat (Kenya) 2:03:50

3.    Abdi Nageeye (Netherlands) 2:05:32

4.    Dawit Wolde (Ethiopia) 2:05:46

5.    Chala Regasa (Ethiopia) 2:06:11

6.    Koen Naert (Netherlands) 2:06:56

Women:

1.    Eunice Chumba (Bahrain) 2:20:31

2.    Tesfu Teklegergish (Ethiopia) 2:21:35

3.    Rose Chelimo (Bahrain) 2:26:21

4.    Fatima Azzahraa Ouhadd (Spain) 2:26:44

5.    Aleksandra Lisowska (Poland) 2:26:44

6.    Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) 2:27:19