NAIROBI, April 20 (Xinhua)--New York Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor is certain the world marathon record will fall in London on Sunday.
Kamworor, speaking from Eldoret, said he is ready to witness the 2:02:57 time shattered by his training mate and Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge.
Kamworor will not be running in London. He says that from what Kipchoge has done in training, it will be good if he sets a new mark in marathon running.
"I trained with you (Kipchoge) and am indeed ready to witness [a time of] 2:02:46 by my mentor," Kamworor said in a message to the Olympic champion.
In May last year, Kipchoge ran the quickest recorded marathon, crossing the finish line at the Monza Formula One track in Italy, in two hours and 25 seconds.
He smashed the official mark of 2:02:57 set by fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto in Berlin in 2014, but did not enter the record books because the race did not follow international standards for pace-making.
Kamworor, who is a three-time world half marathon champion, believes success for Kipchoge in London will open up the minds of many athletes.
However, reigning world marathon record holder Dennis Kimetto has warned that it will take more than just the perfect weather and fast pace setters for the world record to go down in London.
Kimetto has not won a marathon since his win in Berlin back in 2014. He was second in London in 2015 and was ninth in London again in 2016. Since then he has had problems with his body as injuries crept in and threatened to end his career prematurely.
He has since shaken the injuries off and will be running in Vienna, Austria on Sunday.
Last year, Kipchoge together with Wilson Kipsang and Kenenisa Bekele made an attempt to break the world record in Berlin, but failed as the rainy weather made a new world record impossible.
Kipchoge has since put that failure behind him and he is ready for a new challenge in London. He says dedication, focus and hard work will help him through.
"Running a very beautiful race is what I have on my mind," he said. "I have a big plan to run a fast race."
