Ibrahim Hussein Kipkemboi, the first African to win the Boston Marathon in 1988, said Kipchoge is in the right frame of mind to achieve his goal

A former Kenyan marathon star on Thursday tipped world marathon record holder, Eliud Kipchoge to run the grueling race under two hours.

Ibrahim Hussein Kipkemboi, the first African to win the Boston Marathon, a feat he achieved in 1988 and later in 1991 and 1992, as well as the New York Marathon in 1987, said the world champion is in the right frame of mind to achieve his goal.

"I know Kipchoge very well because we come from the same village alongside his coach Patrick Sang. Whatever the duo has set sights on in the past, they have always achieved," Kipkemboi told Xinhua.

Kipchoge's second attempt to break the two-hour barrier for the marathon will take place in Vienna on Oct.12 this year, event organizers INEOS have announced.

The 2016 Olympics marathon gold medalist lowered the legal world record by an astonishing 78 seconds after he posted 2:01.39 in Berlin last September and ran the second-fastest time in history when he won the London marathon in 2:02.37 in April. He ran 2:00.25 in his previous non-world record attempt in Italy in 2017.

The latest attempt to break the two-hour mark dubbed the 'INEOS 1:59 Challenge' is a project backed by British chemical firm INEOS.

Kipkemboi, who is now the regional director of the Nairobi-based International Association of Athletics Federations/African Athletics Development Center, advised young and budding athletes to emulate Kipchoge if they want to go far in their careers.

"Kipchoge has succeeded because he follows the advice of his coach. He also has a strong presence of mind, focus and whatever he embarks on he believes there is no limit towards achieving it," he remarked.

posted Thursday September 12th