Dafabet launches betting to Kenyan customers

Abel Kirui congratulates Florence Kiplagat on the victory in the Chicago marathon women’s race

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 21 – Kenyan fans will have the opportunity to bet on athletics starting with the London Marathon following Dafabet’s announcement.

The betting firm, a subsidiary of Asia’s leading gaming company Dafabet is keen to tap into athletics craze in Kenya.

The Virgin Money London Marathon will be run this Sunday with a stellar cast of Kenyan athletes and their eternal rivals Ethiopia ready for battle of London.

The new boys in Kenya’s growing betting industry are said to be ready to offer a localised product to its Kenyan customers given the interest in athletics.

Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele (men) and Kenya’s Mary Keitany considered favourites for the London race have been assigned odds of 2.00 and 3.50 respectively.

In the carefully prepared odds appearing on www.dafabet.co.ke, 5,000m Olympic champion Vivian Cheruiyot, making her marathon debut has a mouthwatering 5.50 odds and Florence Kiplagat at 7.00 to win.

Despite her debut, Dafabet appears to fancy the diminutive Vivian winning ahead of Kiplagat.

Dafabet’s Director of Retail and Regional Operations, Louis Watts said, they are keen to offer a good product to customers in “a country with so many great athletic champions.”

“Placing a bet would give an opportunity to athletics fans to test their knowledge and gut feelings by placing their bets. Kenya’s rivalry with Ethiopia is legendary. Bekele (Kenenisa) and Abel (Kirui) are there. Mary (Keitany) and Dibaba (Tirunesh) are there. It is a good field. This is an opportunity for Kenyans to bet on their favourite athletes,’ Watts said yesterday.

Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, who is currently training to lower the World Record to below the two-hour mark, won last years London Marathon by clocking 2:03:05. Stanley Biwott finished second in 2:03:51 as Kenyans left Kenenisa Bekele gasping for breath in third place for 2:06:36.

In the women category, Jemima Sumgong, who is battling to clear her name over allegations she doped won in 2:22:58 with Ethiopian Tigist Tufa (2:23:03) sandwiched by Sumgong and Florence Kiplagat (2:23:39).

Ahead of Sunday, Keitany, the second fastest woman of all time said a new World Record on could be the on the cards when she will be going for her third London victory.

Keitany will be up against a field that includes four women who have broken the two hours 20-minute barrier and eight that have run under 2:22.00.

Briton Paula Radcliffe set the 2:17:42 World Record at the 2005 London Marathon, but Keitany believes it could go on Sunday.

“I’ve trained enough,” Keitany told www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com.  “I’m ready to race on Sunday.”

The 35-year-old went on to say: “If the weather is fine for us, and we cooperate, I think we will run a great time,” said Keitany.

The rest of odds are as follows:

Women.

Mary Keitany                     3.50

Tirunesh Dibaba               4.00

Vivian Cheruiyot               5.50

Florence Kiplagat             7.00

Aselefech Mergia            8.00

Mare Dibaba                      8.00

Aberu Kebede                  10.00

Tigist Tula                         10.00

Heleh Kiprop                     14.00

Men

Kenenisa Bekele              2.00

Tesfaye Abera                   4.00

Feyisa Lilesa                       5.50

Abel Kirui                             7.00

Bedan Karoki Muchiri     8.00

Daniel Wanjiru                  8.00

Ghirmay Ghebreslassie   8.00

Tilahun Regassa               10.00

Amanuel Messel              16.00

Asefa Mengstu                 16.00

Oleksandr Sitkovsky       25.00

Alphonce Felix Simbu     33.00

Kenya’s London cast

Elite Men:

Abel Kirui                                             2:05:04                  Rotterdam          April 5, 2009

Daniel Wanjiru                                  2:05:21                  Amsterdam        Oct 16, 2016

Bedan Karoki                                     DEBUT

Elite Women

Mary Keitany                                     2:18:37                  London                 April 22, 2012

Florence Kiplagat                             2:19:44                  Berlin                    Sep 25, 2011

Helah Kiprop                                      2:21:27                  Tokyo                    Feb 28, 2016

Vivian Cheruiyot                               DEBUT

Half Marathon                                   1:09:44                  Lisbon                   Mar 19, 2017

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