Kenya’s Kimetto seeks fast time in Fukuoka marathon

Nairobi, Dec 2: World marathon record holder Dennis Kimetto of Kenya is hopeful that he will close the season with a win after false starts in London and the World Athletics Championships in Beijing.

Kimetto, who holds the world best mark of 2:02.57 hours, left for Japan on Wednesday to take part in the Fukuoka marathon on Sunday, reports Xinhua.

"It has been tough for me. I did well in training, but the body did not respond well when called upon. I am still devastated for not finishing the race in Beijing, but I have since done my homework and hope to return stronger in Fukuoka," Kimetto said.

After Kimetto's failure in the Beijing worlds, he went to Angola for the Luanda Half Marathon and was 10th. But he attributed the poor finish to fatigue.

This time, alongside seeking the victory in Fukuoka, Kimetto is alive to the fact that Kenya will be watching the race closely with hope of selecting its team to the Olympics.

"There are two races left to be used to consider the participation in Rio. But that is beside the point. Olympics will fall in place only if I do my work in winning in Fukuoka; that is my target," he said.

"I want to go to the Olympics. But that is not the concern at the moment. Winning Fukuoka is my priority and a faster time of under two hours and five minutes is my target."

He will also look to try and break the Fukuoka course record. In Fukuoka, Kimetto will face defending champion Patrick Makau, the former marathon world record holder with the mark of 2:03.38 hours.

However, Makau ruled out competing at the Rio Olympics, saying he will take each race at a time and want not to put himself under pressure for no good reason.