Athletics-Olympic champion Kipchoge to participate in Tokyo Marathon

(Reuters) - Marathon world record holder and Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge will make his competitive return at the Tokyo Marathon next month, the Kenyan announced on Friday.

Kipchoge, who defended his marathon title at Sapporo at the Tokyo Games last year, will return to Japan for his debut Tokyo Marathon.

The 37-year-old holds the world record with a time of 2:01:39 set in Berlin in 2018 and became the only man to break the two-hour barrier at an unofficial race in 2019.

"My focus has been on Tokyo from the beginning of my training cycle, and I can say I am ready to race there," Kipchoge said.

"I am very excited to run in a country where running is a crucial part of the sport culture and looking forward to experience the Japanese excitement for running an the marathon in particular."

The Tokyo Marathon will take place on March 6.

(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)