Eliud Kipchoge, Olympic marathon champion and world record holder, is looking forward to a great race today in Enschede, the Netherlands, which he sees as a crucial preparation for this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The race was originally scheduled to take place in Hamburg on April 11th, but was postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions, forcing the organizers to look for an alternative location.
It will be Kipchoge’s first outing since his surprise loss at the London Marathon in October when he was eighth, more than five minutes slower than his world record of 2:01:39 and more than a minute behind Ethiopian winner Shura Kitata .
« My goal is the same – to have a good race and a nice race, » he told reporters in a virtual press conference on Friday. « We’ll all enjoy it, we’ll test ourselves, the form we’ll be in on Sunday, but above is the beauty of the race. »
More than 50 top athletes from at least 20 countries will take part in the event, which is open to the public, according to the organizers.
Among the participants who are competing against Kipchoge today is the 2012 Olympic champion, Stephen Kiprotich from Uganda.
A handout picture released by the London Marathon on September 29, 2020 shows Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge (L) training on the grounds of the official marathon hotel and biosecure bubble. [Photo by Bob MARTIN / London Marathon / AFP]
« Winning is important, certain time is important but I can’t say I want to aim for that time, I really want to have a nice race, » said Kipchoge.
Kipchoge also said it had been difficult to manage the training restrictions caused by the pandemic.
« Covid has destroyed everything, destabilized our training and our lives. Now we’re training with the small groups and competing without the fans, ”he said.
« I’ve been in the sport for 17 years and trained with a crew. Imagine one day you are told to train on your own, » added Kipchoge.
Standard Group PLC is now the official broadcast partner of the Tokyo Olympics on July 23rd
Ref: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke
