Kipchoge to defend Olympic Marathon title

Eliud Kipchoge has said he will defend his Olympic title at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo after he passed the chance to win a first World title over the distance.

The World Marathon record holder will not wear the Kenyan colours at the IAAF World Championships in Doha after he opted for a second attempt at running the ultimate distance in under 2 hours in a project dubbed INEOS159- backed by Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire owner of chemical firm INEOS.

Kipchoge’s fell 26 seconds shy of running a sub-2-hour marathon in 2017 during the Nike Breaking-2 project and will try a second stab at athletics’ last great barrier in October in London.

“I have decided to concentrate on one event (INEOS159) with my main reason being to make the sport competitive and lively to the human generation. I have no pressure at all, I will just train as in any marathon,” Kipchoge told Citizen Digital.

The new development now means Kipchoge will not return to defend his title in Berlin where he ran a world record of 2:01:39 last year.

The 34-year-old clocked 2:08:44 to win his maiden Olympic title in the 2016 Rio Olympics and a chance to once represent Kenya in the Games appears to be on the cards after.

“Although Olympic Games are still far away, I hope and trust that I will be in the starting line up in Tokyo. I think it is better to see me making history while at the same time it gives others a chance to go for the World Championships,” added Kipchoge.

Kipchoge has previously bagged a gold and silver medals at the 2003 and 2007 Worlds respectively albeit in 5,000m as he is yet to make his marathon bow in the competition.

Regarded as the best marathoner of all time, Kipchoge became the first man to clinch four titles in London marathon after racing to a course record of 2:02:37 in this year’s race.

“I expected to run fast time in London due to my preparations,” said Kipchoge.