NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 15 – Kenyan javelin thrower Alexander Kiprotich is hoping he can use part of the funds from the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) scholarship to train in Finland, despite currently taking some time off to recover from a knee injury he picked at the Commonwealth Games.
Kiprotich was one of the beneficiaries of the NOCK scholarship program and as he looked to step up to seek a possible podium finish at next year’s World Championships in Budapest, he hopes a training camp in Finland will work magic on his career, just as it did for his mentor Julius Yego.
“I received a scholarship from NOC-K (National Olympic Committee Kenya) and I hope to use the same for a training camp in Finland, if all goes well,” Kiprotich told Capital Sport.
The 27-year old picked a knee injury at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham two weeks ago and has decided to take sometime to rest and recover, with an aim of returning to full training in October.
“It was a discomfort I felt on my left knee during the Commonwealth Games, especially while running up to the throw line. Right now, I am just engaging in light exercises to keep myself in shape until October when I expect to be back in intense training,” he said.
His adventure in Birmingham fizzled out in the first round, when he threw 77.93m to finish eighth.
The 2013 Africa Junior Champion, who was making his second appearance at the Club Games, said the calibre of his opponents was too strong for him.
“If you look at my competitors, most of them are relatively more experienced than I am. They compete regularly in the Diamond League circuit and are therefore used to participating at the highest level. Hopefully, this training camp in Finland will help me improve on my skills, especially the technical level,” Kiprotich said.
However, Kiprotich, who clinched the title at the first edition of the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in 2020, does not know when next he will be able to compete.
“For now, the major focus is to make a full recovery and then resume intense training. I haven’t given much thought to that (next competition),” he said.