World silver medallist Kipruto targets Beijing glory in steeplechase

World silver medallist in 3,000m steeplechase Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya believes the World Championships in Beijing in August will provide the right platform to silence his critics.

"It has been painful to watch as others compete. I picked up my injury in Brussels Diamond League in 2013 and have been in and out of the country seeking treatment," Kipruto said on Monday in Eldoret.

"It has taken a year or so to heal and in November, it was fully healed. But I refused the urge to return back to the deep end in training and wanted to come back slowly. I am now ready for the season and the target is to claim gold in Beijing," said Kipruto.

His frequent trips from Kenya to Amsterdam in the Netherlands in search of medication caused him to miss the cross country season and he does not rue his omission from the Kenya team to the World Cross Country in Guiyang, China on March 28.

"Kenya has good distance runners. The only thing I miss is I never got the chance to train on endurance, but I will recover that as I start my build up towards Beijing Worlds," he said.

"I started training from December 2014, however I didn't want to risk straining it again," Kipruto added.

Trained by former 800m World Champion Alfred Keter, Kipruto is certain he will rule the water and barrier race in Beijing. However, he still has to win a slot in the Kenya team, in the usually explosive Kenyan trials in June.

"That is no problem, I will take the challenge in my strides. The focus is firmly on winning gold in Beijing," he said.

Kipruto announced his arrival on the international stage back in 2011, then just 17, when he won gold over the 2,000m distance at the World Youth Championships.

He returned a year later and won gold in Barcelona's World Junior Championships and believes, he is ready for the bid challenge in Beijing in August. Endite