ELDORET - Kenyan 3 000 metres steeplechase world champion and London Olympic medal hopeful Ezekiel Kemboi was charged with assault on Thursday after a violent incident during the previous night.
“He has been charged with an offence of assault. It was not an assault with grevious harm, just an assault,” Kemboi's lawyer, Michael Chemwok, told reporters at the court house in the town of Eldoret.
“He's still innocent until proven guilty. He still plans to go the Olympics and he's not affected at all,” Chemwok told Reuters.
A woman called Ann Njeri told local media earlier on Thursday from hospital in Eldoret that she had been drinking with Kemboi until late on Wednesday night. The runner attacked her with a knife when she declined his advances.
Kemboi, who is also a police officer, rejected the accusation.
“Yesterday, I was attacked by five thugs who were in a red car. One of them tried to knife me but I ducked so the knife injured one of them. So, today, they have turned around the story to say it's me who attacked them. But I've left the matter with my lawyers who are handling it,” he told reporters at the court house.– Reuters