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Kenya's Kiplagat seeks to conquer Chicago course record

Xinhua, October 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

World half marathon record-holder Florence Kiplagat of Kenya is seeking a win at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, which will guarantee her a slot in the Rio Olympic Games.

Kiplagat, 28, said she has done everything in training and is ready to put it to test along the Chicago city streets, deemed as one of the fastest marathon courses in the world.

However, she warned that a world record will not be on her mind, though she is eager to clinch the win and boost her bargain power for inclusion in the Kenya team to the Rio Olympics.

"I have always dreamt of running at the Olympics. I missed the London Olympics because of stiff competition," she said Monday in Eldoret.

"This year, after running in London (she finished fifth), I decided to focus on my speed and was planning to run at the Beijing World Championships. But I lacked the qualifying time and hence, I put my focus on the Chicago Marathon and I hope my choice of race will be vindicated with victory," she said.

Kiplagat's first completed marathon at Berlin in 2011 was a sensational success. After passing halfway in 1:10:11, she ran a negative split to win in 2:19:44.

The previous April in Boston she ran 1:11:42 at 21.1km and 1:42:59 at 30km, but did not finish. She returned to Berlin in 2013 and won again.

Kiplagat made headlines in February 2014 at Barcelona with a Half-Marathon world record of 1:05:12, which she lowered to 1:05:09 in March. But she was unlucky in April during the London marathon finishing fifth in 2:24:15.

"Now it is time to redeem my image and win another marathon," she said. "I want to win and time will not be important when I start. But it will be a fast race and if the time falls within my strides, I will certainly go for it."

"I missed the chance to run 10,000m at the World Championships because I wanted to focus on this race, and now I have to prove that my decision to sit out of Beijing worlds was right," she said.

Kiplagat will have to battle with Mulu Seboka of Ethiopia (2:21:56), Paris marathon silver medallist Amane Gobena (2:23:30), and Japan's Kayoko Fukushi (2:24:21).

Kiplagat, who will jet out on Wednesday for Chicago believes she has rested enough since running in London in April and will take the race by the horns, in a front running style from the start.

"Winning is the only thing that will sway the coaches to consider me for Rio Olympics. I want to wrap it up fast and wait to see how other Kenyans perform in New York and April marathons," said Kiplagat. Endi