Two-time New York City Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor has pledged to breeze to the winner's podium at the TCS London Marathon race on Sunday.
Kamworor said he will look to bounce back strongly from the lacklustre performance he registered in the senior men’s 10km race in Bathurst, Australia where he emerged fourth.
"I've been training a lot and I feel I'm in the best form ever to deliver the title. I feel ready to make the country proud and I'm not going to let Kenyans down because they deserve this win," Kamworor said.
The three-time world half marathon champion — making his debut at the event — will seek to replicate his sublime performances at previous events where he asserted authority at whim.
He heads to the event on the back of a wealth of experience having won his first World Marathon Major at the 2017 New York City Marathon and replicated the feat at the same event in 2019.
Born on November 22, 1992, Kamworor and raised in the village of Chepkorio in Kenya's Rift Valley Province, Kamworor first competed abroad in 2010 when he traveled to Finland.
While there, he set track bests of 3:48.15 minutes for the 1500 metres and 7:54.15 minutes over 3000m.
He eventually broke the glass ceiling for global acclamation after clinching the 2011 World Junior Cross Country title and winning the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships three times in a row (2014, 2016 and 2018).
Kamworor registered an outstanding performance at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, running away with the titles both in 2015 and 2017.
He is the former half marathon world record holder, having won the Copenhagen Half Marathon with a time of 58:01 in September 2019.
His record stood until December 2020 when it was bested by Kibiwott Kandie at the 2020 Valencia Half Marathon.He suffered a major setback on June 27, 2020, when he was hit by a motorcycle while out on a daily run resulting in a tibia fracture that required surgery.
After recovering from his fracture, he graced the Kenya Police Cross Country Championship and bagged the 10,000m race in a time of 29:22.He will seek to wrestle the title from compatriot Amos Kipruto in London on Sunday.
Kipruto, 30, is expected to lead the Kenyan charge for a clean sweep in this year’s event.The duo will be joined by compatriots Valencia Marathon champion Kelvin Kiptum who ran the third-fastest time of 2:01:53 and Vincent Kipchumba who returns to the English capital after a second-place finish in 2021.
They face an acid test from the second-fastest man over the 42km race Kenenisa Bekele who is expected to lead the strong Ethiopian contingent that also boasts Mosinet Geremew, Birhanu Legese, and last year’s runner-up Leul Gebresilase.
Aside from the Ethiopian challenge, the Kenyan quartet must look over their shoulders for the real threat that will be used by four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah of Britain who has vowed to pull off one last vintage performance before calling time on his illustrious career.
Elite men at the 2023 TCS London Marathon
Amos Kipruto (KEN, PB 2:03:13), Kenenisa Bekele (ETH, 2:01:41), Kelvin Kiptum (KEN, 2:01:53), Birhanu Legese (ETH, 2:02:48), Mosinet Geremew (ETH, 2:02:55), Tamirat Tola (ETH, 2:03:39), Kinde Atanaw (ETH, 2:03:51), Leul Gebresilase (ETH, 2:04:02), Vincent Kipchumba (KEN, 2:04:28), Seifu Tura (ETH, 2:04:29), Sir Mo Farah (GBR, 2:05:11), Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN, 2:05:23), Brett Robinson (AUS, 2:07:31), Dewi Griffiths (GBR, 2:09:49), Rory Linkletter (CAN, 2:10:24), Chris Thompson (GBR, 2:10:52), Tom Gröschel (GER, 2:11:03), Ben Connor (GBR, 2:11:20), Joshua Griffiths (GBR, 2:11:28), Frank Lara (USA, 2:11:32), Luke Caldwell (GBR, 2:11:33), Weynay Ghebresilasie (GBR, 2:11:57), Phil Sesemann (GBR, 2:12:10), Mohamud Aadan (2:12:20), Charlie Hulson (GBR, 2:13:34), Adam Craig (GBR, 2:13:58), Alex Monroe (USA, 2:14:15), Ross Braden (GBR, 2:14:32), Nick Earl (GBR, 2:14:38), Nigel Martin (GBR, 2:15:19), Ronnie Richmond (GBR, 2:16:59), Nick Bowker (GBR, 2:17:35), Alex Milne (GBR, 2:17:40), Josh Lunn (GBR, 2:17:59), Fraser Stewart (GBR, 2:18:40), Matthew Dickinson (GBR, 2:19:23), Emile Cairess (GBR, debut), Paulos Surafel (GBR, debut)and Sean Tobin (IRL, debut)