Kotut to lead Kenya vs Ethiopia duel on Sunday

Caption Cyprian Kotut of Kenya crosses the finish line to win the 40th Paris Marathon men's race, in Paris, Sunday April 3, 2016. AP

It will be a dogfight as Kenyan and Ethiopian marathon top guns lock horns at the 46th Amsterdam Marathon showdown on Sunday morning.

The race looks too competitive -with more than nine sub 2:05 athletes in the men's starting line.

It will be a spectacular sight to behold as stars battle along Amstel River and when they reach halfway shortly after the turning point on the famous Ouderkerk, where major upsets usually happen.

Cyprian Kotut, who won Hamburg Marathon in a personal best of 2.04:47 where he erased the course record of Eliud Kipchoge set 2013, will lead the Kenyan onslaught.

But Kotut, the younger brother of two-time London Marathon winner Martin Lel, has come a long way.

He scored C+ at Cheptil High School in Nandi County and opted to take up athletics. And it's paying off.

Kotut won Paris Half Marathon before chalking up Paris Marathon victory in 2016. He set a then personal best of 2:07.13 beating Mark Korir, who was the defending champion. He will take on Korir, who trains under Global Sports Communications camp, in the Sunday's race.

Even as he strives to step out of elder brother's shadows, Kotut still has a mountain to climb in Amsterdam.

"My training went on well and I look forward to a competitive race on Sunday. I am really under pressure to perform better, given that I train with Amos Kipruto and Benson Kipruto, who won Berlin and Chicago marathons recently. I must strive to appear on the podium," said Kotut.

Celestine Chepchirchir clocked 2:31:41 to win the 42 Kilometre Women Category during the 15th edition of the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon 2017 along Uhuru Highway on Nov 26, 2017. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Kenyan charges that also has Nobert Kigen, Titus Kipruto and debutant Charles Mneria must be at their best stop Ethiopians in Lemi Berhanu (2:04.33), Tysegaye Getachew, Adeladlew Mamo, Afewerki Berhane and Adugna Takele.

Celestine Chepchirchir is Kenya's sole women competitor and will take on a crowded field of Ethiopians. They include Azmera Gebru, Gebeyanesh Ayele and Sinayehu Tilahun.

Meanwhile, innovative GPS wearable RunPuck will make debut at Amsterdam Marathon.

The RunPuck, a GPS-wearable gadget developed by Global Sports Communication, which generates specific data for individual runners, will be used during the race.

Because of the RunPuck, the real-time performance of athletes can be followed closely from start to finish.

Analysts say the competition has a lot more in-depth because of the RunPuck. Television commentators will have access to data showing the distance that athletes have covered, their pace and their expected finish time.