Nicholas Kimeli had admitted that a shoe mishap at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon not only cost him a strong finish but also sidelined him from training for two weeks.
Commonwealth Games silver medallist Nicholas Kimeli has opened up about his challenging experience in his second half marathon in Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates.
The race was his season opener and Kimeli could only afford a 13th place finish in 1:01:26, something that almost shook his existence.
His poor performance, as he calls it, was largely influenced by the shoes he wore to the event as he claimed that they were small and he had to even take one out during the race due to the uncomfortable nature.
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Nicholas Kimeli made his half marathon debut at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon in 2024 where he finished an impressive third in 59:59 and that is where he believes he belongs, not in 13th place.
However, the shoes not only affected him during the race but also after since he was unable to train for two weeks. Nicholas Kimeli revealed that his foot was bleeding when he crossed the finish and it took sometime before he was able to get back on track.
“This is my second race of the season after I started at a half marathon in Ras Al Khaimah where I did not perform well due to a challenge with my shoes. I ran barefoot and it was not great performance,” Nicholas Kimeli revealed.
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“It has cost me a lot because I have not trained for two weeks after the race since I hurt my toe nails cause of the shoes I used. When I finished the race, I got hurt and blood was oozing from the wound.”
He was speaking after his dominant exploits in the men’s senior race at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country where he achieved a podium finish.
Nicholas Kimeli finished third in the race, crossing the finish line in 30:15 and he revealed that it was beyond expectation. After having not trained well, he did not expect to post such impressive results.
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“I’m glad to have come here and bounced back because I was not even expecting to finish in the podium bracket, it’s all in God’s doing. I had not trained for two weeks and I’ve just surprised myself to know that I’m still in great shape,” Nicholas Kimeli revealed.
Now, he shifts focus to a series of Diamond League Meetings as he eyes a slot to the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. Kimeli has been unfortunate at the global showpiece, finishing seventh in the 5000m final in Eugene, Oregon.
Kimeli was also in action at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary where he finished eighth in the 10,000m final and missed out on a slot in the final in the 5000m. At the Paris Olympic Games, Nicholas Kimeli finished a distant 14th in the men’s 10,000m final but that is about to change.