体坛英语新闻：Champ Kamworor focused, inspired to defend New York marathon title

NAIROBI, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- World Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor says he is still hungry to take another bite at the 'Big Apple' when he lines up to defend his title at the New York marathon on Nov 4.

It will be his third show in New York marathon (known as the Big Apple race), having debut in 2015 winning silver behind compatriot Stanley Biwott.

A win for Kamworor, 25, will put him at par with John Kagwe who holds a 20-year record as the only athlete to have won the New York Marathon in successive years.

The New York marathon title holder has won three World Half marathons, two cross country gold medals and dominated the track competition and it would be harder to get inspiration to propel him further.

"Running at New York is like running at home. It is my favorite race. The course is up and down, sometimes flat. I am used to this from my cross country background; it is not a challenge for me. It is similar to the terrain I train on in Kaptagat," Kamwaror told world athletics governing body, IAAF.

In 2015, he was just 14 seconds behind champion Biwott. He skipped the marathon circuit to focus on road racing and won silver at the London World Championships in 10,000m behind Mo Farah.

This year he started off with victory in Valencia to become the second man after Eritrea's Zersanay Tedese to win three titles in a row.

But the allure of retaining his crown in New York is too sweet to turn down as he eyes the world championships and Olympic in the future.

"I would like to win as many as possible world and Olympic titles and also to win as many marathons," he adds. "Running is my passion, my office. It is my daily activity that I cannot live without."

This year in New York, Kamwaror will be stronger having stayed away from competition since March. He is endowed with a lot of strength, speed and mental aptitude and will be the man to beat.

"It is always about the next competition for me. The medals I have won have always motivated me but after I win a medal, I forget about it and aim for the next goal. In some ways is a bit like climbing a tree. When you climb up to the next branch you forget about the branch that you have left behind," he said. Enditem