With world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge missing out at this year’s London Marathon field, Milano Marathon champion Titus Ekiru is among athletes to watch during Sunday’s latest edition of the annual marathon.

Ekiru has been training in Kapsabet, Nandi County at the Stanley Biwott Nike camp and is eager to lower his personal best time of 2 hours, 02 minutes and 57 seconds.

In May this year, he posted one of the fastest times this season after winning Milano Marathon in 2:02:57 improving his own course record he set in 2019 of 2:04:46.

“After my good performance in Milano, I went straight to camp to continue with my training programme because I knew there were many upcoming races I could participate in. It has been four months of vigorous preparations and I just want to run a good race,” said Ekiru who is under Rosa Associati Company.

Also, defending champion Shura Kitata of Ethiopia and runners up Vincent Kipchumba of Kenya are set for another epic clash on Sunday.

Kipchoge who is fresh from retaining his Olympic title at the just concluded Tokyo Games will skip the London Marathon for the first time since 2017.

The reigning Valencia Marathon champion Evans Chebet who ran the fastest time last year (2:03:00) is the other Kenyan in the race.

Joining Kitata are compatriots; two-time Tokyo Marathon champion Birhanu Legese, the third-fastest marathoner of all time as well as Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun who both finished on the podium last year.

In the women’s race, world marathon record holder and defending champion Brigid Kosgei will return to the English capital and will compete alongside other Kenyans; the 2019 New York City Marathon champion Joyciline Jepkosgei and Valary Jemeli.

Kosgei who bagged silver in Tokyo will be attempting to win her third successive London Marathon title just eight weeks after the very testing conditions in Sapporo.

“It is a great feeling to be coming back, as London is one of my favourite marathons. Last year’s win was very special, particularly given what the whole world was going through – it was fantastic just to have the London Marathon organised and even more so to be the winner. 

I hope to arrive again in very good shape and win for the third time,” Kosgei said.

Jepkosgei set a new personal best (PB) of 2:18:40 last December at the Valencia Marathon, where she finished second to new Olympic champion Peres Chepchirchir (KEN).

Also in the elite women’s field are Ethiopians Roza Dereje (ETH), whose PB of 2:18:30 makes her the tenth-fastest female marathoner of all time, and Birhane Dibaba (PB 2:18:35), who won the Tokyo Marathon in 2018 and 2015 and finished second in the same race on three other occasions (2020, 2017 and 2014).

The other women to have run inside 2:20 are Valary Jemeli (2:19:10), Zeineba Yimer (ETH, 2:19:28) and Tigist Girma (ETH, 2:19:50). Also returning is Sinead Diver (AUS), who has had two top 10 Virgin Money London Marathon finishes in the past two years and was tenth at the Tokyo Olympics.