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NAIROBI (Xinhua) --
Former World marathon record holder
Wilson Kipsang of Kenya is keeping his cards close to
his chest as he seeks to stage a surprise in his quest
to win in Berlin and possible set a new world mark in
marathon.
It will be
the third time Kipsang is returning to the German
capital eyeing to leave another mark on the Berlin
marathon on September 24.
In 2013, he
was the man who broke the world record clocking 2:03.23
taking 15 seconds off the time set on the same course by
his compatriot Patrick Makau (2:03:38).
However,
Kipsang’s record was shattered a year later when Dennis
Kimetto became the first man to run under two hours and
three minutes when he stopped the clock at 2:02.57.
Haile
Gebreselassie and Paul Tergat were the other athletes to
have broken the world record in Berlin.
Last year,
Kipsang ran ten seconds faster than his world record but
it was only good enough for second place behind
Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, who missed breaking Kimetto’s
world record by just six seconds.
“I enjoy
running in Berlin and I am doing everything right so as
to be in top shape and try and win the race. The world
record will then have to fall in just by itself,”
Kipsang said Tuesday in Iten.
“I am
inspired and this preparation will be the sharpest
ever,” said Kipsang, who won the Tokyo Marathon in
February with the current world leading time of 2:03:58.
Kipsang will
face one of his fiercest rivals in marathon - current
world number one Eliud Kipchoge on the start line.
Kipchoge is
the best marathon runner in the world at the moment. The
2016 Olympic champion is aiming to run faster in Berlin
than Kimetto (2:02:57).
Kipchoge was
only eight seconds slower than Kimetto in the 2016
London Marathon. A few months later he dominated his
rivals to win the Olympic title in Rio.
The Kenyan
knows all about the Berlin course: he won in 2015,
running 2:04:00 despite the insoles of his running shoes
flapping for much of the race.
Two years
previously he finished second in Berlin with another
impressive time, 2:04:05 where his compatriot Wilson
Kipsang broke the world record with a time of 2:03:23.
Kipchoge’s personal best is 2:03:05, set when he won
London in 2016.
In May
Kipchoge took part in a special race in Monza, Italy,
under special conditions on Formula One circuit and ran
the fastest time ever recorded for the marathon -
2:00:25.
However,
this was achieved with rotating pacemakers and providing
him with a wind shield to boost performance from start
to finish.
This is not
permitted in normal races. Under current rules, a
maximum of three pacemakers can be employed but
substitutions are not allowed.
Kipchoge has
made clear his objective in Berlin: “I was very close to
breaking the 2hour barrier in Monza. Now I believe
Berlin is the perfect venue for attacking the official
World Record.”
The Kenyan
is 33 and can look back on a long and consistently
successful career as a long distance runner.
He became
the World 5,000m champion in 2003, won silver and bronze
at the same distance in the Olympic Games of 2004 and
2008 respectively and is the reigning Olympic Marathon
champion. |
