Reigning Olympic champion Reuben Kosgei is determined to defend his steeplechase title at the Athens Games.
Defence of the Olympic title is now a priority for Kosgei considering that he lost the world title after failing to finish the race in the finals at the World Championship in Athletics in Paris, France last year.
He is a happy man because he believes that the left leg tendon injury that has been troubling him since 1999 has healed.
He suffered the injury after being stepped on during the national trials of 1999 in Nairobi.
“The injury was treated in Holland but it did not heal completely and has been troubling me since then,” he said at Kipchoge Keino stadium, Eldoret.
He said the injury was still paining him when he won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games.
The injury, he said had affected his training programme so much that he was a pale shadow of himself when he went to defend the World Championship steeplechase title in Paris last year.
Kosgei made it to the final after finishing 4th in 8:20.63 in the third heat but failed to finish in the final just like Wale Luleseged of Ethiopia.
He made it to the World Championship through a wild card for being the champion having won the title in previous championship.
Kosgei who seems to have found his training vigour said he had agreed with his coach, Patrick Sang to train alone first to gauge if the injury had gone away completely.
David Macharia (Daily Nation) for the IAAF