- Amos Kipruto’s coach Claudio Berardelli has expressed confidence in him thriving once again.
- Kipruto has struggled with injuries in recent years.
- The Kapsabet based athlete made his comeback in the 2024 Chicago Marathon where he finished third.
Celebrated running coach Claudio Berardelli has backed Kenyan marathoner Amos Kipruto to bounce back after struggling with injuries.
Kipruto, who won the 2022 London Marathon, was sidelined for several months with injuries that slowed down his progress.
However, with the support of his family, colleagues and coach, the experienced athlete managed to return to action on October 13, 2024, where he clinched a podium place finish in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
In Chicago, Kipruto, who also suffered a tendon injury in 2020, produced an impressive performance to finish third behind his compatriot John Korir and Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa, clocking 2:04:50 while Korir and Esa clocked 2:02:44 and 2:04:39 respectively.
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According to Berardelli, the stellar display in the streets of Chicago was an indication of good things to come.
“Chicago was again to me the beginning of the second part of his career. So, Amos now has to have a long term vision because he is still a young athlete.
I believe he is in a very unique moment of an athlete’s career where he can combine enough experience but still he is a fresher,” Berardelli told CGTN in a televised interview.
The Italian-born coach, who also coaches the likes of Evans Chebet, Benson Kipruto, Emmanuel Wanyonyi and the fast-rising Sabastian Sawe further talked about the essence of runners having a system.
According to him, a system is essential for recovery when they are faced with challenges since it can guide them.
“When things are okay, you have to just let things roll by themselves. But when you now face either an injury or personal problems or whichever problem that might interrupt that flow, now, there you need to have a system.
A system that will eventually also teach you how to remain mentally stable. So, I always tell my athletes, personal stability is the number one thing,” he explained.
Amos Kipruto fights doubts
Meanwhile, Kipruto revealed that the recent injury he struggled with nearly made him quit his career.
“I was almost traumatized by the injury. You know, the main monster in athletics is injuries and it makes you ask yourself a lot of questions.
You even think about quitting. But I thank my coach because he gave me a lot of hope,” stated the man who started running while in primary school.
Kipruto also took the opportunity to thank the Chicago Marathon organizers for trusting and giving him a chance.
He ended by making his intention of representing the country in the upcoming international races clear.
“We are open to running in any category or race we get a chance. If the world championships will be there, I am ready. I know we are also ready to run in any major marathons,” offered Kipruto.
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