NAIROBI, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Olympic champion and world marathon record holder, Eliud Kipchoge, is set to compete at the NN Mission Marathon in Hamburg, Germany on April 11.
It will be the first outing for the Kenyan distance running superstar since he was stunned to eighth at the 2020 London Marathon in October 2020, his only second loss over the ultimate distance and a first since the 2013 Berlin Marathon.
"I am going back to the genesis of my marathon career. For me, Hamburg is where it all began. I hope to inspire many people around the world by running a great race in the streets of this wonderful city," Kipchoge posted on his official Twitter account on Thursday.
His management team NN Running said the one-off marathon has been organized to give the Rio 2016 Olympics champion a last outing before he defends his title in Tokyo.
The brief served as confirmation that Kipchoge, who ran 2:08:44 for victory in Brazil, will return to defend his Olympics crown after a period of uncertainty over his future following his London loss last year.
Kipchoge will thus bid to be only the third man in history to hold on to the Olympics marathon crown after Ethiopian Abebe Bikila and German Waldemar Cierpinski.
In 2019, Kipchoge became the first athlete in history to run a sub-two-hour marathon at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.
On Oct. 12, 2019 in Vienna, the Kenyan made history by running a full marathon in an incredible 1:59:40.
Kipchoge has won a remarkable 11 out of 13 career marathons and besides his gold medal at the Rio Olympics, other highlights include an unprecedented four London Marathon victories, three Berlin Marathon wins and a Chicago Marathon title.
"Kipchoge re-started gym work back in December 2020 and started full training from his camp in Kaptagat in January. Eliud has enjoyed a typically smooth preparation so far," the statement from NN Running affirmed in a statement.
Incidentally, Kipchoge launched his marathon running career with victory at the Hamburg Marathon in 2013 after failing to make the Kenyan team for the London 2012 Olympics. Enditem
