Ezekiel Kemboi was tipped to win gold in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, but instead ended up 3rd. The country however celebrated as another Kenyan, Conseslus Kipruto, won the gold.
Just hours after he claimed bronze, Kemboi was disqualified following a formal complaint by Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad of France.
He was accused of stepping off the track.
“A protest was presented by the French team after the 3000m steeplechase men final against Kenyan athlete Ezekiel Kemboi … claiming he had stepped off the track,” said an IAAF statement.
An appeal jury “met and examined the video of the race, confirming that Kemboi, after clearing a water jump, had stepped outside the track on the curved part before the home straight.” Under race rules, runners cannot step off the inside edge of the track when running around bends.
While the IAAF found that Kemboi had committed a violation, it is unclear what impact — if any — it had on the final times. Kemboi finished with a time of 8:08.47, more than three seconds faster than Mekhissi-Benabbad’s fourth-place time.
Source: Nairobi Wire
