Kenyan athlete Celliphine Chespol, has revealed what transpired before the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase final where she finished 13th.
The 2018 World Under-20 champion lamented that she almost missed out on the race after lacking a physiotherapist.
Chespol, the only Kenyan athlete in the final, noted that the coach of a Kenyan turned Kazakhstan athlete helped her.
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"I thank God that I was able to finish the race because I had doubts about whether I would race. During my warm-up, I felt some pain in my knee. Unfortunately, there was no physiotherapist.
"I thank Norah’s coach. He is the one who came to help me and sprayed my knee,” Chespol stated.
During the early stages of the race, the Kenyan maintained a steady pace. However, when the intensity increased she was unable to match the frontrunners.
The Women’s 3000m Steeplechase final was won by Kazakhstan's Norah Jeruto who was running for Kenya in 2016 when she became the African Champion.
Chespol also acknowledged that many athletes run in order to make money for themselves and it is a key issue when they switch their nationalities.
“We are all looking for money, so for the likes of Norah when they find a country that pays them well they switch,” Chespol added.
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