‘Eliud closer to 2 hrs than I am to him’
NEWDELHI:BRITISH distance running great Mo Farah, who has made a smooth transition to marathon after winning the Olympic 5,000-10,000 double twice in succession, is looking forward to a battle royal with Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, who set the world record at Berlin by clocking 2 hours, one minute, 39 seconds. Mo Farah won the marathon in Chicago in early October, in only his third marathon, at a modest 2:05:11 but has set a marker in the chase to become the first to run the
42.195km race under two hours. Mo conceded Kipchoege had the advantage as an accomplished marathon runner and world record holder. However, he feels the Kenyan will be the one to feel the heat.
“For me, Eliud has shown us the way. He is the best marathon runner, without a question. He is the best, and at the same time can I beat him? Can I get close to him? It will be a different race, different tactics. I know now, I am stronger than I was a year ago. It is possible to get the best race out of ourselves, me and Eliud. Try hard and beat the best guy. There is a lot of pressure on him rather than me,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of a promotional event.
Kipchoge is ever so close to breaking the two-hour mark in the marathon.
Mo Farah said: “I know anything is possible for me.
“But he is a lot more close to it than I am to him, if that makes sense. If I have run 2:05, he has run 2:01. He has the world record. For him, it is a lot more advantage than me. And if you say who is going to do it, he can go close. But can I go close, the following year, the year after, it is possible.”
The Somalia-born runner though doesn’t seem to have run his last big race on the track. He admitted he was in two minds despite his early marathon success. And that could mean a return to compete in the track at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.
‘KOHLI’S RONALDO, ME MESSI’
De Villiers’ camaraderie with India captain Virat Kohli is well known, both having played for IPL outfit RCB for years, with some fans likening them to football greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “There is definitely some chemistry about us batting together. We have a similar mindset about the game which we enjoy. It’s very nice to bat with someone who understands the way you play and also the mutual understanding. He likes Ronaldo so let him be that and I’ll be Messi, will take that gladly,” he laughed.
Praising Kohli, he added, “He is a really good captain and is going to get even better. That is the scary part. As a batsman he has got areas where he can improve and that is also scary. He is in a great place in his career.”