Patrick Kipngeno tipping another big run from defending champ at Sierre-Zinal

Only one person has won two Golden Trail World Series races this season – can Patrick Kipngeno make it three against the strongest men’s field of the year so far?

The brilliant Kenyan won both stages of the Asian leg that kicked off the 2024 campaign – the Kobe Trail and the Four Sisters Mountain – as well as numerous other events and he’s now set for the iconic Sierre-Zinal on Saturday.

He’ll be up against the GOAT Kilian Jornet, Rémi Bonnet and reigning champion and fellow Kenyan Philemon Kiriago.

Ups – and now downs!

His prowess going uphill is undoubted but he surprised a few with his descending at the technical Kobe Trail and he told the GTWS’ Mickaël Mussard: “Yes, I have improved, not even I expected to be so good on the downhill in Japan.

“Last off season I changed my training program to improve on those sections, I have been training more downhills in Kenya, focusing on my technique and resistance in those sectors, it’s also helpful not having pain problems like I had last year.”

It means he has to be a threat whatever the terrain and asked about his ambitions for Sierre-Zinal, he added: “My target is the podium, improve my time from last year, and enjoy the race.”

A Kenyan 1-2 again?

Having led, he finished second last year behind Kiriago after stepping on a stone and twisting his ankle just after the halfway mark.

And he’ll again look to work in tandem with Kiriago, explaining: “We always try to run together and push each other, I would like to share the podium with him again this year.”

While he wouldn’t be pushed on who he sees as the biggest danger on a stacked start line on Saturday, he did add: “I don’t have a main rival, I race against myself and try to improve each race, I cannot worry about the competition too much, but maybe my friend Philemon is the guy to compete with!”