Audio By Carbonatix
Olympic and world 3,000m steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto will miss the first Diamond League event of the season in Monaco after testing positive for coronavirus.
Kipruto, 25, had been one of 11 Kenyan athletes cleared to compete on 14 August after the French government waived their visa applications.
But he announced he had failed the Covid-19 protocol test on Saturday.
"I don't have any symptoms and I was actually in great shape," he said.
"I was planning to go for the world record - it has stayed too long outside Kenya."
Kipruto claimed gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics and won back-to-back world titles at London in 2017 and Doha last year.
He has a personal best of eight minutes 00.12 seconds, with Kenyan-born Qatar athlete Saif Saaeed Shaheen holding the current men's world record of 7:53.63.
"I wish to thank Monaco for all the work they have done and I wish them and my colleagues a wonderful competition," added Kipruto.
"Athletics is back and I will be back as well."
Following exhibition events in Oslo and Zurich in June and July, Monaco will mark the start of the competitive season.
A further six events, including an exhibition street event in Lausanne, are currently scheduled to take place this year, after meetings in Eugene, London, Paris, Rabat, Gateshead and Shanghai were all cancelled because of coronavirus.
Latest Stories
-
OSP should be a department under the AG’s office – Elikem Kotoko
12 minutes -
Majority NDC supporters don’t want NPP to elect Bawumia as Flagbearer – Global InfoAnalytics
40 minutes -
OSP director tells Manasseh Azure he can’t do the job better than Kissi Agyebeng
1 hour -
Police rescue young woman, arrest partner in viral domestic abuse case
1 hour -
Kissi Agyebeng has survived two assassination attempts – Sammy Darko reveals
1 hour -
Ghana Scholarships Secretariat schedules Dec. 8 and 9 interviews for Commonwealth applicants
1 hour -
Agric Minister applauds farmers, highlights new era of innovation at National Farmers DayÂ
1 hour -
Five districts in Upper East Region selected for gov’t Farmer Service Centres initiative  Â
1 hour -
Kpebu doubts claims that Akufo-Addo administration interfered with Special Prosecutor
3 hours -
It’s difficult to believe everything the OSP says – Manasseh Awuni
3 hours -
I would’ve blocked Ofori-Atta from leaving Ghana if I were Special Prosecutor – Martin Kpebu
4 hours -
I’m headed for public office, but not the OSP role – Martin Kpebu
4 hours -
I will only submit my allegations to a board, not the OSP’s subordinates – Martin Kpebu
5 hours -
‘I’m still a bit traumatised’ – Martin Kpebu recounts alleged abuse during OSP arrest
5 hours -
Martin Kpebu dismisses claims he seeks to become Special Prosecutor
5 hours
