Kibet primed to add to list of achievements

But desti-ny had something else in store for her. The 28-year-old will be lining up at the start of the Sunfeast World 10K race here on Sunday, eager to add another victory to her list of achievements.

Kibet, now a Dutch citizen, is one of the favourites for the women’s title and is the fastest here over 10K, having clocked 31:01. Up against a quality field, the Dutchwoman says her goals are simple. “It will be a tough race but I want to clock a good time and hopefully, win it.”

Kibet has had a busy season, competing in the World Cross Country championships and also the Glasgow 10K run. But all these, she says, are part of her preparation towards her main goal in life. “I will be running my second marathon in October and this will be good preparation. I ran my first marathon in 2007 and after 35 kilometres, it was quite a struggle.

Perhaps that was because I didn’t have enough miles under my belt then, but I believe I can run a good marathon,” she says.

Like many Kenyans, Kibet started running out of necessity, running to her school in her village called Iten -- 3km away from her home -- and back. The eldest in a family of 10 children, she was more into studies but her talent was all too obvious and the late-starter -- a cousin of world half-marathon champion Lornah Kiplagat -- soon bloomed into a runner of repute.

Living with her Dutch boyfriend Hugo van den Broek, Kibet, a qualified physio-therapist, divides her time between Holland and Kenya. “Training in high altitude benefits us and hence we spend time there,” says Kibet, who is keen to take back some good memories from India. “It’s somewhat similar to Kenya, the atmosphere is relaxed, but the weather is cooler there — it’s the rainy season now. Hopefully, I can clock a good time here.”