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NAIROBI (Xinhua) --
Olympic 5,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya
is not concerned about breaking the world record, but on winning
London Marathon on her second attempt on April 22.
A year ago,
Cheruiyot made her debut in the marathon but she had to settle
for the fourth place in a race won by compatriot Mary Keitany
who went on to set a new women-only course record of 2:17:01.
That time remains
the second-fastest time in history with Radcliffe’s world-record
time of 2:15:25 set in 2003, which she ran with two male
pacemakers, remaining intact.
“I always run my own
race and I do not concern myself with who is competing against
me. The strategy is to stick with the lead pack and see how it
shapes up after the 30km mark,” said Cheruiyot.
“For now I am
pleased to announce that I will be competing in the London
Marathon on April 22,” she said on Monday.
Cheruiyot has since
gone on and establish her mark in the marathon competing in
several half marathon and also winning at the Frankfurt Marathon
last year where she posted 2:23:35, which remains her personal
best. In April during the London Marathon, Cheruiyot posted a
time of 2:23:50.
Cheruiyot, 36,
intends to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 before finally
hanging up her spikes and believes her quest will be greatly
enhanced should she add the London Marathon crown to her
illustrious collection of medals.
But with the likes
Keitany, a three-time London Marathon champion, Tirunesh Dibaba,
Mare Dibaba, Gladys Cherono and Brigid Kosgei in the line-up, it
will always going to be a hard shot to take. |
