Having just been crowned Olympic champion the previous year, Ugandans had high hopes as Kiprotich went for the New York Marathon in which he came 12th. A lot of negative talk followed after the disappointing performance.
However, unknown to many was that the patriotic Kiptrotich had been nursing his sickly daughter who had been unwell since she was five days old.
?He left his daughter?s bedside to train for two weeks ahead of the New York marathon,? a source said.
Kiprotich managed to put up a spirited fight, competing among the best runners in the world who included Tsegay Kebede and Kenya?s Geoffrey Mutai who claimed the $500,000(sh1.2bn) World Marathon Majors (WMA) top prize after winning the race at 2:08:24. Kiprotich came in at 2:13:05 well behind his Ugandan counterpart, Jackson Kiprop (2:10:56).
At golden girl Elizabeth Chelangat?s burial on Sunday, attended by hundreds of mourners, Kiprotich thanked everyone for their support towards his family in their moment of grief.
Over 1,000 people from as far as Kampala attended the burial that took place at James Kitui?s (Kiprotich?s father) place.
?They have made me stand strong and they have given me a sense of belonging and even inspired me to work hard,? said the athlete, who is also a Prisons officer.
Source: BBC
