World and Olympic steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto’s bid to kick-start his season has suffered a major blow after he was ruled out of next week’s Monaco leg of the Diamond League after testing positive for Covid-19.
Kipruto revealed the setback to a local daily, Daily Nation on Saturday, a day after completing his preparations for 3,000 meters steeplechase race at Monaco’s Stade Louis II where he had promised a sub-eight-minute run.
Kipruto, 25, was among 15 Kenyan athletes who had been cleared to compete in Monaco’s leg after getting special dispensation visas to travel to the Schengen area.
Kenya is among countries whose nationals have not been cleared to travel into European Union nations owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The athletes were, however, cleared to travel after Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed and Athletics Kenya President Jack Tuwei intervened on their behalf at the Embassy of France in Nairobi.
