The 2011 African 10,000m silver medallist Bedan Karoki is determined to lay his hands on the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon title when he lines up in the Japanese capital on Sunday.
The 35-year-old veteran has raced the streets of Tokyo twice, but victory has eluded him.
In 2023, Karoki clocked 1:01:20 to settle for third in an all-Kenyan podium sweep behind Evans Kiptum (1:01:10) and Benard Kimeli (1:01:12).
A year later, he improved, clocking 1:00:38 for second place behind Amos Kurgat, who timed 59:52. Paul Kuira completed the podium in 1:00:49.
Armed with a personal best of 58:42, set during his emphatic win at the 2018 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon, Karoki heads back to Tokyo hoping to rediscover his winning touch after an inconsistent season.
He began the year with a 14th-place finish at the Marugame Half Marathon on February 2, clocking 1:00:40, in a race dominated by Alexander Munyao (59:16), Emmanuel Maru (59:19), and Tomoki Ota (59:27).
Three weeks later, his bid for redemption at the Osaka Marathon ended prematurely with a DNF, as Ethiopia’s Yihunilign Adane (2:05:37), Ryota Kondo (2:05:39) and Abdisa Tola (2:05:52) sealed the podium.
Karoki, however, showed signs of resurgence at the Gifu Half Marathon, where he finished fifth in 1:02:12.
Ethiopia’s Dawit Wolde claimed the win in 1:00:06, followed by Kenya’s Kiprono Sitonik (1:00:13) and Vincent Yegon (1:01:17).
The seasoned runner has mixed things up, too, returning to the track for two 10,000m races, clocking 27:50.42 for fourth at the Nittadai Challenge Games on May 31, before recording a DNF at the Horuken Distance Challenge on June 11.
Despite the setbacks, Karoki remains one of Kenya’s most decorated road runners. His resume boasts half marathon victories in Lisbon (59:58) and Philadelphia (59:23) in 2014, Copenhagen (59:14) in 2015, Buenos Aires (59:05) in 2019 and back-to-back wins at Ras Al Khaimah (2017 – 59:10, 2018 – 58:42).
Joining Karoki in Tokyo is compatriot Bernard Kimeli, who is seeking redemption after missing out on the podium last year, finishing fifth in 1:00:52, having placed third in 2022.
The Kenyan duo, however, faces a stern test from Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic 10,000m champion.
Barega has been in blistering form this season, clinching the Zurich Marathon title on February 23 in 2:05:15, before storming to victory at the Manchester 10K in 27:49 on May 18.
