The semi-finals and heats are not the grand stages for an athlete to create history, many wait for the main stage, the finals, to make that great move. For Abel Kipsang, none of that bothered him as he broke clear from the rest of the field to set a new Olympic record of 3:31.65, smashing Noah Ngeny’s previous record 3:32.07 — set at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Kipsang who beat Norweigian Jakob Ingebrigtsen to win semi-final two says that the renewed confidence will help him attack the final even better and he expects nothing short of a podium finish on Saturday.
"I feel so good; before, I was not sure I could make it to the semis but here I am on my way to the final. I will give it my all in the final to see to it that I get a medal. It may not be gold but my minimum target is to make it to the podium," Kipsang said.
Despite the huge achievement, Kipsang realises that the final will be a different cup of tea especially now that he has announced himself on the global stage.
"I know that it will be a very competitive and difficult final because of the calibre of runners in the event. We have the likes of our very own Timothy (Cheruiyot) as well as Jakob. Everyone will want to win a medal. Nonetheless, I am ready to take the fight to them," he said.
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