Kenya’s fast-rising marathon runner Titus Kipruto has stated that he is ready he is ready for the challenge in the upcoming Tokyo 2025 Marathon set for March 2, after falling short in his debut in 2023.
Kipruto, 27, came fourth in the 2023 edition, and this year, he will compete against several big names, including six sub-2:04 athletes.
These include defending champion and Paris Games bronze medalist Benson Kipruto.
They will also be joined by World 5000m and 10,000m record-holder Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda, two-time Tokyo Marathon champion Birhanu Legese (Ethiopia), World bronze medalist Leul Gebresilase (Ethiopia) and last year’s bronze medalist Vincent Ngetich of Kenya.
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Despite not being among the 2:04 athletes, the 2022 Milano champion stated that he is aiming for nothing less than the gold medal in this edition.
He added that he has learned a lot from the previous race and is ready to make it count this time.
“I am preparing for nothing but victory, as it is my desire to start the year with a gold medal in a World Major.” Kipruto told SportsBoom.com.
“I ran a good race in 2023 but lacked the experience to outsmart the three Ethiopian opponents. Since then, I have gained the experience and exposure to run at the big stages.”
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He further explained that since his last race in the Shanghai Marathon in December, where he earned the silver medal, he has not rested.
Instead, he has been working hard, with the main challenge now being balancing his energy to ensure he doesn’t burn out before March.
“I am in good shape as I did not take a break after the Shanghai Marathon. I feel I am in the rhythm and ready to compete. The challenge between now and March is to balance the training well so that it doesn’t suck the energy out of me ahead of the race,” added Kipruto.
He also shared his plans if he wins the gold medal in Tokyo, emphasizing his desire to give back to the community and help those less fortunate.
“Since I have already made a difference in my life, I try as much as I can to help others. I will definitely use part of the prize money from Tokyo to help the needy in the society, as it has been the norm,” he revealed.
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