Kipruto would have won that race but Kemboi, being the clown he, is devised a plan to scuttle his victory. He told his teammates that Mekhissi was in great shape and could beat them if they went out at a high pace. He told them that if they kept the pace reasonable and leave it for a kick in the last lap, they will have a better chance at outwitting the Frenchman. It really worked out as he had said because the Frenchman could not respond when Kipruto went passed him just before the final barrier. The plan however was meant to deny Kipruto a win. The original plan was for Mutai to pace the first 1k at close to 2:36 then Koech to take over and maintain a high pace to clock 2k at around 5:14-16. By that time everyone would have been dropped and the few remaining would be running on a single file. If this plan had been implemented, the first casualty would have been Kemboi. That would have left Kipruto and Koech and no one was sure if Kipruto would beat the Frenchman. So to safeguard the gold, Kemboi's plan was adopted. In the end, Kemboi showed he had just played them. Nevertheless the plan was good for Kenya since it would have been almost impossible to go 1-2 with the Frenchman. Kipruto will have his chance in 2 yrs time and in the 2016 Olympics.
NativeSon wrote:
Pertinent to the question at hand, I think he is.
I believe he has dethroned Kiptanui.
I believe Kipruto will be the next in line. He did so much in this race and only lost to the best.