This archive report was first published on 19 September 2019.
Laban Korir is on a mission to bring home the gold for Kenya at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. To achieve this, he has been training with the world's best distance runners in Kaptagat, under the guidance of celebrated coach Patrick Sang.
At the Global Athletics Camp, Korir trains alongside world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and the recently crowned world half marathon record holder, Geoffrey Kamworor. This exposure has been invaluable for Korir, who is working on becoming the first man to run a marathon in under two hours.
“From our coach Patrick Sang, this has been great for me, to Kipchoge who has encouraged me socially and physically, he usually demands discipline in training, in camp and even when I go out there, he has a line that he normally uses, a strong mind builds success,” Korir told Citizen Digital.
Korir has been competing abroad since 2008 and has maintained impressive results, including a third-fastest marathon debut in history with his run of 2:06:05 hours at the Amsterdam Marathon in 2011. He has also won the Toronto Marathon in 2014 and finished second in Paris in 2016.
With a personal best of 2:05:54 set in 2016, Korir is confident that his body is responding well to training. He believes that with the current team of four, including defending champions Geoffrey Kirui, Amos Kipruto, and Paul Lonyangata, Doha Gold is destined for Kenya.
“I would like to thank AK for selecting my friends in the team, my aim is to make sure that we rely on team work, and because we are four a good work plan can make sure we take 1-2-3-4, but most important the gold medal should remain in Kenya,” Korir stated.
Published on September 19, 2019, at 19:53:27.
