Robert Kimutai Ng'eno trains in Keringet, Nakuru County in the past.
| Pool |Athletics
Premium
Kenyan marathoner in dog incident wants compensation
What you need to know:
- Ng'eno was cruising towards victory when the canine appeared from nowhere and started stalking him, barking as it ferociously chased him down the marathon course and locals looked on nonchalantly.
- The Kenyan runner landed back in Kenya on Wenesday from the land of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi which he wants to forget in a hurry, his love for Argentina's football stars notwithstanding.
Robert Kimutai Ng'eno, the athlete who made headlines on Sunday after dog attacked him during Buenos Aires Marathon in Argentina, is now seeking compensation.
Ng'eno, who trains in Keringet, Nakuru is still recovering from shock after an unattended dog started chasing him at the 25th kilometre mark in the race. He was way ahead of the chasing group.
Ng’eno was cruising towards victory when the canine appeared from nowhere and started stalking him, barking ferociously as it chased him down the marathon course, locals looking on nonchalantly.
He lost more than a minute trying to scare away the dog.
The Kenyan runner returned home on Wednesday from the land of football legend Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, which he now wants to forget in a hurry, his love for the Argentinian football stars notwithstanding.
Ng’eno, who trains and resides in Keringet, Nakuru County, finished third after timing 2:10:16 in a race won by compatriot Cornelius Kibet Kiplagat, who clocked 2:08:29, while another Kenyan, Paul Tanui, was second in 2:09:57.
From left: Robert Kimutai Ng'eno (third place), Paul Tanui (second place) and Cornelius Kibet Kiplagat (winner) pose after the Buenos Aires Marathon on September 24, 2023.
Ng’eno won US$4,000 (Sh591,800) for his third place finish but missed a bonus of US$2,000 (Sh295,900) for all runners who hit sub 2 hours and 10 minutes.
He told Nation Sport that he was sure he would win the race but the dog slowed him down.
“The race organiser should consider compensating me because we don’t expect to be attacked by dogs along the road in races. What happened was quite unfortunate. I ended up third after struggling to finish the race,” Ngeno, who is yet to lodge a formal complaint, said.
“I’m still discussing with my coach on the best avenue to do this because the incident shocked me."
"I think the race director should act on this because it was something dangerous and could have harmed me.”
Kenya's Robert Kimutai Ng'eno is attacked by a dog during the Buenos Aires Marathon on September 24, 2023.
His coach, Willy Langat, said that Ng'eno was destined to win the race but the dog slowed him down forcing him to slow in the last few kilometres to the finish line.
“If you look at the splits for Ngeno during the race, he was going to finish the race in 2:06 but an unfortunate thing happened to him which was really sad,” said Langat.
