(Reuters) – Kenya’s marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge will make his Boston Marathon debut on April 17 next year, the 38-year-old said on Thursday, as he seeks a fifth victory in one of the six World Marathon Majors.
The two-times Olympic champion has already triumphed in the London, Berlin, Chicago and Tokyo marathons which are part of the majors and said in a statement released by his NN Running Team that he was ready for the next step.
“I’m happy to announce in April I will compete in the Boston Marathon,” Rio and Tokyo Olympic champion Kipchoge said. “A new chapter in my Abbott World Marathon Majors journey.”
Kipchoge, who has won 15 out of his 17 career marathons, shattered his own world record in September, winning the Berlin race with a time of 2:01.09 to shave half a minute off his previous world best set four years ago.
He has a total of 10 major titles but has previously not taken part in Boston and New York.
Kipchoge is the only man to run a sub-two hour marathon when he crossed the finish line in 1:59.40 on a specially designed track in Vienna in 2019. The time was not officially recognised, however, because it was not set in competition.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
