Once he will finish his career Ezekiel Kemboi could well become a comedian.Â
After he had put on a show in the stadium, taking the gold medal with a time of 8:18.56 from Franceâs Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (8:19.08) and Abel Mutai (8:19.73), Kemboi continued doing so after he had left the track.
Kemboi left it late with his attack in the 3000m Steeplechase final. And it was only in the final lap when he made a real move. Coming into the home straight he was well in front and after clearing the final barrier he started the show by not running straight to the finish line. Instead he crossed over and finally finished in lane eight â he had done the same a year ago, when he became World Champion in Daegu.
It was not clear if Kemboi was aware that Franceâs Mekhissi-Benabbad was closing the gap significantly and when asked about this he did not answer the question during the press conference.
Instead he started listing all his international medals, starting from 2001 as a junior right to his second Olympic Steeplechase title in London. He won gold first in 2004 in Athens.
Marathon distance
After that speech he finally concluded: âFinishing in lane eight indicates that I will move up to the marathon!â He had talked about the marathon already in the past. But on Sunday it sounded more like just another joke.
âI will have to consult my coach first,â said Kemboi.
The coach is former Steeplechase World record holder and Kenyan legend Moses Kiptanui. He may well tell his athlete to stop crossing lanes in future and instead start the show after the finish lane.
When he had finally secured Olympic gold in London the 30-year-old started dancing, much to the delight of the spectators.
âI had done that in similar style in Daegu a year ago and then I got the nick-name, Mini Boltâ,â recalled Kemboi and added: âMy dancing show is a bit different to his â it is mini.â
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