NAIROBI, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- On Sunday, the world will wake up to one of the greatest races in marathon history as Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest runner of all time, Kenenisa Bekele, and the former world record holder in the marathon, Wilson Kipsang square off for the Berlin marathon title.
However, of importance to the three athletes may not be the win, but the chance to write history as the new marathon record holder if anyone can run under two hours, two minutes and 57 seconds, the time recorded by Kenyan Dennis Kimetto in winning the 2015 edition.
But focus will be on Kipchoge, who now believes the world marathon record will be lowered down to the 2:01 mark "in one or two years".
"I am not going to commit to a specific year. If I were to do that I would be putting a brake on the developments, including my own. What I will predict, though, is that in one or two years, a time of 2:01 or 2:01:30 will become a reality," he said.
As well as breaking the world record, Kipchoge also wants to win a jackpot in the World Marathon Majors races before he retires.
"Of the marathon majors is one that inspires me. I still want to race and win in Tokyo, Boston and New York, and I also want to take another shot at the two-hour barrier. I learned a lot in Monza (Italy)."
Though Kipchoge's time was not accepted in Italy because it was not in conformity with the IAAF standards of organizing a marathon, he is the best placed athlete able to shutter it in Berlin on Sunday.
However, that does not rule out Kipsang (2:03:03) and Bekele (2:03:07) who will be part of the congregation.
Statistics show that in the last 15 years, the world record has been broken on the streets of Berlin.
First it was Kenya's Paul Tergat who clocked 2:04:55 in 2003, Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie stopped the clock at 2:04:26 in 2007 and again in 2008 Gebrselassie clocked 2:03:59 before Patrick Makau of Kenya lowered it to 2:03:38 in 2011.
That mark stood the test of time for two years before another Kenyan Kipsang lowered it further to 2:03:23 in 2013 and Dennis Kimetto claimed the current world record of 2:02:57 in 2014. All this times were recorded in the Germany capital.
This is proof that the next world record will most definitely be the goal on Sunday in Berlin.
