Kiplagat the Prince after Monaco Win
Silas Kiplagat’s decisive 1500m victory at the IAAF Diamond Leaguemeeting in Monaco may have come as a shock to most observers – including the female stadium announcer, who greeted his defeat of his Kenyan compatriot and two-time world champion Asbel Kiprop with an expansive “Ooh, la la la la!” on Friday (18).
However, what he described as his “best ever win” came as no big surprise to him.
“I was very confident,” said the 24-year-old from Marakwet as he stood, shirtless, in the mixed zone at the Stade Louis II after 3:27.64, which elevated him from 10th to fourth on the event’s all-time list behind world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj (3:26.00), Bernard Lagat (3:26.34) and Noureddine Morceli (3:27.37).
“It is a great track, a great stadium, and the conditions were excellent. So I’m thinking my win and result is no surprise. I was aware I can do it.”
The shirt he held in his hand had been removed immediately after he crossed the line and used as a prayer mat as he knelt to give thanks for a performance that surpassed even the marvellous victory achieved on the same track a year earlier by Kiprop.