Eliud Kipchoge to compete in Hamburg Marathon before Tokyo Games

FILE PHOTO: Athletics - London Marathon - London, Britain - October 4, 2020 Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge during the elite men's race. [Pool via REUTERS/Richard Heathcote/File Photo]

Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge will compete at the Hamburg Marathon in April as he steps up preparations for his Olympic title defence, the marathon world record holder said on Thursday.

Kipchoge, who set the world record of 2:01:39 in Berlin on Sept. 2018, is vying to become the third man to win successive Olympic titles after his victory in Rio in 2016.