Kiprotich's star sparkles in Hamburg

Stephen Kiprotich was one of those athletes who received quite a bashing at the recent World Cross Country Championships at Kololo.

Most of the spectators, watching cross country for the first time, thronged Kololo expecting a gold medal performance from their star.

To many of these fans, if Kiprotich could win 42 kilometer races, then what about a mere 10kms. They expected him to sprint throughout.

The truth, however, was that cross country isn't Kiprotich's specialty. He was actually using the event as a build-up to the road race season.

But these are explanations that many people were not about to listen to. No wonder Kiprotich was on the firing line when he finished 17th.

There were all kinds of accusations levelled at the former Olympic and World marathon champion.

One fan yelled that Kiprotich, who won hefty cash prizes for his medals, was now enjoying the niceties that come with success and had thereby lost his spark.

"A rich man can't run. He no longer has the hunger for success. He is simply too comfortable to repeat the sacrifice that lifted him to glory," yelled the fan.

But as it turns out Kiprotich could have the last laugh.

This is at least going by his performance in the Hamburg marathon. He was second in a race won by Ethiopia's Tsegay Mekonnen.

And if this performance is a signal of what awaits, Kiprotich could soon be further be engraving his name in history.

This was a good start to the season that will climax in August with the World Championships in London.

His performance in Hamburg evokes memories of 2012.

He started off that season with a third place finish at the Tokyo marathon and wound up with a golden performance at the London Olympics.

"I want to win gold again," Kiprotich recently told me in one of the breaks of his high altitude training sessions in Kapchorwa.

His quest for gold in London is understandable. Should he win at the world meet he will go down in history. He will be the first man to win two marathon gold medals in the world meet after also triumphing at the Olympics.

Kiprotich made a wise decision to look away from the big money in London.

The London marathon held on the same day with the Hamburg race attracted a very strong field with names like Kenenisa Bekele, Tesfaye Abera and Abel Kirui.

Chances of not only burning out but also being psychologically shattered were high in London. That's exactly why it was important to build-up for London in a less competitive race.

But there are some things Kiprotich will have to get right if he is to shine in London.

He needs to work on his final sprint. When Mekonnen changed gears on Sunday, Kiprotich had no answer.