体坛英语新闻：Kenya' s 1,500m Olympic champion eyes victory in London

NAIROBI, April 3 (Xinhua) -- When he burst to scene at the 2007 All Africa Games, Asbel Kiprop was quickly labelled as the heir-apparent to Morocco' s retired double Olympics champion and record holder Hicham El Guerrouj.

Despite a number of false starts and implosions at major events, the lanky Kiprop, who amazingly is yet to celebrate his 23rd birthday, stands as the Olympics, world and Africa 1500m titleholder with sights firmly set on his ultimate goal.

"Every medal I win get' s me motivated to better my hero, El Guerrouj. I want to be like the person, he was tough in the mind, tough in 1500m, tough in the mile, tough in 2K.

"He is unbelievable; he won two gold medals at the 2004 Olympics Games. I' m looking forward to start running the double at the 2013 World Championships; I will be doing both 800m and 1500m," Kiprop said on Tuesday in Nairobi.

"I will be going to the Worlds as a defending champion and at the Kenyan Trials I will do the 800m and I' m sure I will qualify."

But with the biennial global event still a season away, Kiprop is gearing to hold on to the title he won after Bahrain' s Rashid Ramzy was stripped off the Olympics gold after being found guilty of doping.

"Receiving the Olympics gold medal at home in Nairobi last year was exciting and makes me special to some extent since I got the first Olympics gold medal in Africa. I have never heard it happen elsewhere.

"But just like in South Korea, I want to win it on the track and hear the national anthem played at the stadium and although competition will be tough, I believe I can do it."