NAIROBI, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- World half marathon record holder Geoffrey Kamworor will return to the track one final time next season to try and win Kenya gold at the 10,000m race at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Kamworor, who skipped the World Championships in Doha to focus on reclaiming his title at the New York marathon on Nov. 1, says the allure of having an Olympic gold medal dangle down his neck is too strong to ignore.
Kamworor, who will be chasing his second title at the New York Marathon next month said his preparations are on top as he plans to redeem his image after failing to defend his title last year.
"I still have something to prove on the track competition. I am not thinking of switching to marathon full time because there are some unfinished businesses that I must take care of on the track. Next year, I will be eyeing a slot in the Kenya team in the 10,000m for next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan," Kamworor said on Wednesday in Nairobi.
However, for now, Kamworor is happy to immerse himself in training and hope to emerge stronger to challenge for the gold at New York marathon in three weeks' time.
It will be his fourth appearance at the Big Apple race and he intends to bite to the full and walk home with gold.
In his debut in 2015, Kamworor had to settle with silver. He returned in 2017 and was good enough to win the race. Last year, he lost the title to Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, who won with a time of 2:05:59. Compatriot Mosinet Geremew was second while Kamworor was third.
"I am really focusing to go and run a great race. This will be my fourth time to appear in New York and hoping to run well," he added.
And while his decision to skip the World Championships was regrettable, Kamworor went on to smash the world half marathon record in Copenhagen, Denmark.
"I had to skip the world championships to focus for Copenhagen Half Marathon where I wanted to run the fastest time. It ended up being a world record. That is a double blessing for me," Kamworor said.
With the celebration for his achievement now settled, Kamworor says he is ready to challenge for New York title against his nemesis but this time around he will be at ease knowing he is not the defending champion.
"Focus is not on me but on Desisa, I don't have a lot of pressure this time. I know people are expecting a lot from me but I am really focused. All is going on all and for sure hoping to run a great race," he said.
