An unusual situation occurred during the traditional Buenos Aires marathon on Sunday, September 24, and created a scandal in Kenya after a runner from the African country was attacked by a dog in one of the sections of the competition that sailed and 42 kilometers.
Kenyan Robert Kimutai Ngeno was attacked by a dog while he was running between kilometers 25 and 38, right in the section where he was leading the competition. The 29-year-old athlete, who finished in third place, was threatened by a stray dog that blocked the route and started chasing him with loud barking, causing him to lose focus and several positions in the race.
Ngeno managed to maintain a good pace until crossing the finish line with a time of 2 hours and 10 minutes, but he was unable to fight for the first place on the podium, which remained in the hands of his compatriot Cornelius Kiplagat. The frustration of the bronze medal winner was so great because of the unfair situation that he had to live in the City of Buenos Aires that the senator from the district of Nandi filed a complaint on his social networks against the sports authorities in Kenya.
“Marathon runner Robert Kimutai Ngeno was attacked by a dog in Argentina during the marathon race last Sunday, where he took third place. Unfortunately, the incompetent Ababu (Namwamba), Secretary of Sports, and the weak Kenyan athletes did not think it wise to protest and demand investigations by the Argentine authorities. “The athlete was robbed of his dignity and subjected to countless insults,” wrote Samson Cherargei, outraged, on his Twitter account with an image of a dog chasing the Kenyan marathoner.
The defense of the Kenyan senator after the extraordinary situation suffered by the athlete Ngeno in the Buenos Aires marathon, where he was attacked by a dog in the middle of the competition (Twitter)
Ngeno’s anger continued after he arrived in Kenya on Wednesday, where he said he was disappointed because he did not get first place, where he would have pocketed 1.1 million Kenyan shillings (about $7,425). “I want to forget about it right away,” he told local media Nation.
“Argentina is one of the Third World countries where dog owners cannot leash their pets on the marathon route,” said the former president of Kenya’s tourism department, Mohammed Hersi. The topic is debated in the main media of the African country, because athletics is the number one sport in these latitudes.
The 38th edition of the Buenos Aires marathon has the participation of 12 thousand runners, a record number for the Buenos Aires competition that takes place every year. The Marathon starts at 7 am on Sunday from Figueroa Alcorta and Dorrego avenues, in the heart of Parque 3 de Febrero. Among the iconic places of the City crossed by the race are the Boca Juniors stadium, the Obelisk, Corrientes Avenue, the Plaza de Mayo, the Casa Rosada, the Buenos Aires Cathedral and the Cabildo.
