Ezekiel Kemboi decided to retire from running after he finished third in the finals of men’s 3000m steeplechase in Rio Olympic.
“I just want to say today that I am officially retiring from athletics. I want to say thanks to all of my fans over the world – to the people in Kenya [and] my family. Today will be the last athletics [competition] of my career. Thank you.” Kemboi told the press upon finishing the race.
But unimaginable happed and IAAF decided to strip him of the bronze medal he won. French athlete Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, who had finished fourth in the race, appealed against Kemboi for stepping the track during the final race.
Kemboi has come out to reveal he has decided to come out of retirement following the incident. Kemboi claimed he had resorted to retire only if he came out of Rio Olympics with a medal. And since he was stripped of the bronze he won, he had no option but to return to the track.
“I had opted to retire right after the Olympics only if i had come home with this medal… now I feel that I have to bring back this medal not by protesting again but right on track. Kemboi is not retired I will be coming to London 2017 to re-claim my medal from France. No limits.” Wrote Kemboi on Facebook.
