New York Marathon winner Kamworor prepares ground for title defence

Kenya's Geoffrey Kamworor celebrates in a past race [Courtesy]

New York Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor hopes to mount a successful defence of his title in the “Big Apple” on Sunday.

Here the 25-year-old Kenyan superstar athlete hits the rewind button on his medal-laden career to select five highlights.

The 2011 World Cross Country Championships

“I have fond memories of winning the junior (U20) race.

“I had finished fourth at the Kenyan trials to qualify in the World Cross team. It is always so tough to qualify for the Kenyan team, so I knew I was among the best (in the world). If I trained hard and maintained my focus, I said to myself ‘I will finish number one’.

“I recall controlling the race from the front early on and from that point on, I never thought anyone could beat me. Crossing the line first gave me a lot of motivation to improve my training.”

The 2014 World Half Marathon Championships

“The previous month I finished sixth in the Tokyo Marathon in a time of 2:07:37 – which was not the performance I was looking for. So after Tokyo, my coach (Patrick Sang) and I made the decision to target the World Half. I was confident of performing well in Copenhagen because in 2013, I had posted the fastest half-marathon time in the world of 58:54 (in Ras Al Khaimah).

“I remember going up against a quality field in Copenhagen containing the defending champion and world record holder Zersenay Tadese (of Eritrea) but that did not worry me because I knew I’d prepared well. At 15km I broke away from the field and no-one was able to chase me down. To win (in a time of 59:08 by a margin of 13 seconds) was a great feeling.”

The 2015 World Cross Country Championships

“I finished second at the Kenyan cross country trials but enjoyed a positive period of training in the countdown to the world cross country championships, and I was confident of a good showing.

“The course was a classic mix of jumps, uphill and downhill sections. We (Kenyans) also ran as a team determined to set a fast pace. It was nice to run with a good friend in Bedan Karoki, who went on to win the silver medal. I managed to pull ahead and claim gold.”

The 2016 World Half Marathon Championships

“I switched my focus to the World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff.

“I went there determined to retain my title but the weather conditions were horrible. It was both wet and windy and I slipped and fell heavily on my knee at the start of the race. The knee was initially painful, but once I got back onto my feet, the pain subsided. I knew from that point I would be okay. At around 3km, I caught up with the leaders and my confidence started to build again.

“To win the race in a time of 59:10 with all the adversity I’d faced, was so satisfying.”

The 2017 World Cross Country Championships

“I went there as the defending champion but knew it would be a tough competition, particularly because of the strong home challenge led by my NN Running Team colleague and friend Joshua Cheptegei. 

“Joshua was running at a quick tempo and I could not match him. 

“It was unfortunate for Joshua when he struggled badly towards the end of the race. When I went past him, I hit the front.