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
-
Togbe Afede XIV lauds government’s $10bn ‘big push’ programme for boosting farm produce transport
25 minutes -
FDA urges consumers to prioritise safety when purchasing products during festive season
29 minutes -
President Mahama calls for single-digit interest rates on agricultural loans
42 minutes -
President Mahama urges Ghanaians in formal jobs to take up farming
52 minutes -
Farming interventions paying off, lifting incomes and food security, says Agric minister
1 hour -
Gov’t pledges science-backed interventions in agriculture, says Agric minister
1 hour -
Ghana unveils $3.4bn plan to accelerate national clean energy transition
1 hour -
Interior minister urges security agencies to maximise use of new NSB regional command in Ho
1 hour -
Photos: Ghana celebrates 41st National Farmers’ Day
2 hours -
2025 Farmer’s Day: Farmers demand a 2% interest rate on loans to boost farming activities
2 hours -
Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana calls for strong public-private partnerships to unlock finance and transform the sector
2 hours -
Lions celebrate International Volunteer Day with over decades of service and impact
2 hours -
3 dead, dozens injured in Mampong Abuontem head-on collision
2 hours -
MoFFA shuts down several Eastern Region mortuaries over poor sanitation, non-compliance
2 hours -
Domestic violence case: John Odartey Lamptey remanded over alleged brutal assault on wife
3 hours
