When Patrick Makau broke the world record in the men’s marathon in September 2011, what grabbed attention was not just that he had got there, but whom he had vanquished in that effort.
Some 17 miles into the Berlin Marathon, Makau accelerated away from Haile Gebrselassie, who had hitherto been shadowing him.
“I was young and aggressive. I had a lot of courage,” says Makau, who is in town for Sunday’s TCS World 10K. On Thursday, in another chapter in a long-running story, the World Anti-Doping Agency recommended that Kenya be declared ‘non-compliant’, putting the country’s participation in the Rio Olympics in doubt.
Makau believes, however, that a ban is out of the question.
“They (WADA) say that, but it is impossible for them to do so,” he says.