This archive report was first published on 10 October 2019.
Kenya's Olympic and world champion Eliud Kipchoge is confident of breaking the 2-hour marathon barrier this weekend in Vienna, Austria. He made the statement on Thursday, comparing the feat to man's first landing on the moon.
At 34 years old, Kipchoge will attempt to break the barrier on Saturday in a specially prepared course in a huge park in Vienna. Two years ago, he narrowly failed to achieve the feat at Monza, Italy.
On September 16, 2018, Kipchoge set the men's world record for the marathon with a time of 2:01:39 in the Berlin marathon. However, the International Association of Athletics Federations will not validate the time as a world record due to the way the run is being set up and paced.
"Vienna is running and making history in this world, like the first man to go to the moon," Kipchoge said at a press conference in Vienna on Thursday. He added that he wanted to show that "no human is limited".
On Saturday, Kipchoge will be aided by pacemakers as he attempts to break the barrier. The course has been prepared to make it as even as possible, with a banked corner that can save time and avoid injury.
According to an analysis by sports experts at Vienna University, the 42.195-kilometre course has been prepared so that it should take Kipchoge just about 4.5 seconds more than a computer-simulated completely flat and straight course.
On May 7, 2017, Kipchoge attempted the feat in Monza, Italy, finishing in a time of 2:00:25. He says he is mentally stronger now and is "confident" that he can get it "the second time".
"My training has been the same, my coach has been the same, my management, everything has been the same. Now the thinking is different," Kipchoge said. "I feel more prepared. I feel more ready."
