Wilson Kipsang's name was underlined in the books that narrate the golden age of the marathon. He had been the only one capable of defeating Eliud Kipchoge in the mythical distance, as happened in Berlin 2013. He had been one of the world record holders who anticipated the magic slippers boom. Possibly it had been the first threat to the impossibility of falling below two hours in the 42,195 kilometers. But this year his presence in those memories began to fade and it is likely that, sooner rather than later, he will eventually disappear. Its decline is being very hard.

Maybe it all started a long time ago, but the first public sign of his fall into hell was an accident. On December 8, when he was driving at dawn between Eldoret and Iten, he crashed his Toyota Prado against the back of a truck and survived with hardly any miracle injuries. The Kenyan press spoke of possible alcohol problems, as many champions had before, but the suspicion was not confirmed.

A few weeks later an even worse blow would come. For three failures to monitor his whereabouts in less than 12 months, and for falsifying evidence of one of those failures, Kipsang was provisionally suspended by the International Athletics Federation (IAAF) and his entire career was questioned. At 38, his future was placed between questions, but after what happened, his past also became dark. Bronze at the London 2012 Olympics, victories in the London, Berlin, New York and Tokyo marathons and even his stratospheric record (2:03:23) ahead of Kipchoge ...

Only the auction was missing. And this one arrived this Thursday. In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, Kipsang was detained for not complying with confinement and had to spend a night in the dungeon. "We proceeded to arrest Kipsang and nine other people at Keelu Resort while they drank and played billiards at 10:00 pm," said Iten County Police Commander John Mwinzi . "It is a very serious offense. These people are respected and they are supposed to set an example and not go against government orders," he added of Kipsang, who also, like many prominent athletes, has a position as a police officer.

The marathon runner, who started the year by promising an outstanding performance at the Tokyo Olympics, perhaps another medal, will end it in a forced and dishonorable retreat. The memory of who was one of the names of the golden age of the marathon will never be the same.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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