Nairobi Star<\/a> (Nairobi)<\/p>\nWambua Kavila<\/p>\n
21 December 2011<\/p>\n
\nWorld marathon record holder, Patrick Makau is now gearing up for the Dubai half marathon in February.<\/p>\n
“I am training well in Ngong and look forward to the half marathon. Things couldn’t be better,” the soft spoken world record holder said. The 26 year-old added that he will use the Dubai event as build up for the London marathon.<\/p>\n
He confirmed he was in top form and is looking forward to another good season. Makau broke the world record at the Berlin Marathon with a blistering 2:03;38 erasing more than 20 seconds from the previous record of 2:03;59 set by Ethiopisn legend Haile Gebrselassie. He said having broken the world record, he would not rest on his laurels and feels that he can perform even better but was non committal about breaking his world record soon. “I attribute my success to God and discipline and urge all athletes to do the same if they intend to get to the top”, the recent Soya Sportsman of the Year award winner told The Star in Machakos town.<\/p>\n
The athlete had been invited as a guest during the Peter Mullei Machakos road race where Patrick Mutunga won the 15 kilometre event. Makau who started competing at 19 years and went to the international stage at 22 said he will be running only two marathons in a year. After the Machakos road race, Makau advised the athletes to take training seriously and urged them to maintain discipline if they intended to succeed in the international arena. Also present was Athletics Kenya treasurer Joseph Kinyua who told the competitors athletics was the fastest growing business in the world today and that was where the money is.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere world and European 5,000m champion Mo Farah will count on the raucous backing of the Glasgow faithful when he launches his 2012 track campaign before a packed crowd at Kelvin Hall next month. Farah, who alongside 400m hurdles world champion Dai Greene is shortlisted for tomorrow’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year, will headline the Aviva International Match in its final year at Kelvin Hall on Saturday January 28, aiming to make it the first step in his 2012 journey towards London Olympic gold.<\/p>\n
And in continuing the theme of rousing send-offs, the event will also be the last time the Aviva GB and NI Team competes on home soil ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games. USA-based Farah, who won 5,000m gold and 10,000m silver at the IAAF world championships in Daegu in August, will make his Aviva GB and NI Team debut over the shorter distance of 1,500m in Glasgow in his first appearance at the venue since breaking the British 3,000m record and setting a new personal best time of 7:40.99 at Kelvin Hall in 2009.<\/p>\n
The double world championships medallist will no doubt send Glasgow fans away from the venue for the final time with stunning memories of the annual global athletics event. Farah, who lives and trains across the Atlantic in Portland, Oregon, said: “It’s going to be really good to compete at the Aviva International Match again.”<\/p>\n
AllAfrica – All the Time<\/p>\n
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