Kenya’s Vincent Yator, who was injured in a road accident which killed another runner Francis Kiplagat, will not honor a call to compete at the Paris Half Marathon on March 4.
Though Yator has been discharged from hospital, his mission to compete in the Paris Half Marathon will have to wait as he recovers from home.
“Yator has been discharged from the hospital and is recovering at home in care of his family, friends and teammates. Good news and best wishes from the entire team,” his management group Ikaika Sports said on Saturday.
Yator was listed as the top athlete for the Paris Half Marathon coming in as the winner of the 2015 edition, but will now have to watch from home as compatriots Evans Cheruiyot, Eliud Kiptanui and John Koech battle it out for the honors.
Yator, 28, was to be one of the 45,000 runners on the start line of the most popular half marathon in France.
“It is a pivotal event of the early season and a key milestone in the build-up to the main Paris Marathon in May,” said organizers in a statement.
Without Yator, Kenyans will look upon Cheruiyot, fourth in last year’s Karlovy Half Marathon (1:00:59) to wrest the title accompanied by Eliud Kiptanui (1:01:34) and John Koech (1:01.38).
Frenchman Yohan Durand (1:03:43) in the 2010 Lille half marathon will have to dig deep. In the women’s race Kenya will be led by Former Boston Marathon champion Sharon Cherop.
The Kenyan recorded her personal best in New Delhi in 2011 of 67:08 and will face competition from fellow Kenyan Pauline Wanjiku (69:09) in Warsaw in 2014 and runner-up in last year’s race.
There is also Ethiopian Haklima Beriso, third in Paris in 2010.
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