After a foiled attempt in Chicago last year, Kenya's Dennis Kimetto is ready to challenge the World Record of compatriot Wilson Kipsang in Berlin Marathon on Sept. 28.

At 30, Kimetto is among the favorites to bring down the 2:03.23 record Kipsang set in Berlin last year.

"Certainly the focus is on the world record. We have discussed it with my management and the pace makers and I believe if we have a good weather, that record will tumble again," said Kimetto said Thursday from Eldoret.

"I can see it (world record) going down to under two hours and three minutes. The current crop of athletes can push it down, but I want to be the first to run under the two hours and three minutes and hopefully, do it in Berlin."

The Chicago Marathon Champion arrived late on to the 42km distance competition, but has continued to write history in all the events he has been involved.

Kimetto placed second in the 2012 Berlin marathon clocking the fastest time ever for a first-time-marathoner (2:04:16), one second behind fellow Kenyan and training mate Geoffrey Mutai.

Kimetto's rise to the top came late as he won his first major race at the age of 27, a half marathon in Nairobi. In 2012, he won the RAK Half Marathon (United Arab Emirates) and the Berlin half marathon.

A few weeks after his Berlin win he ran a world record for 25km (1:11:18), again in Berlin bettering the mark held by Kenyan Sammy Kosgei by 32 seconds.

In 2013 he won the Tokyo Marathon (2:06:50) and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon (2:03:45), both with course records, the latter being the third fastest time ever run on a legitimate course.

This put him third in the leaderboard for the World Marathon Majors behind Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede 55 points and Wilson Kipsang (51).

Since 2002, five athletes from U.S., Ethiopia and Kenya have broken the marathon world record. America's Khalid Khannouchi did it in London clocking 2:05:38 in 2002 and he was followed by Paul Tergat a year later in Berlin clocking 2:04:55.

In 2007, Haile Gebrselassie broke it in Berlin in 2:04:26 and improved it further in 2008 to just 2:03:59.

Kenya's Patrick Makau recaptured the record in 2011 clocking 2:03:38 before Kipsang put it further lower to 2:03:23 in winning last year race in Berlin.

However, after failing to break it in Chicago last year, where he clocked 2:03:45, the third-fastest time ever on a legitimate course, Kipsang is ready to go for glory on the faster Berlin course.

"I am carrying a strong pace setter. Wilfred Kirwa (2:11:42 Vienna) will take me through the race. He has strict instruction to run the first half in about 61 minutes and pass the 30km mark in 1:27.00. He will then be free to drop out. That will leave in inside the world record," said Kimetto.

"My body is responding well to training. I wanted to do well in Boston, but I was not able to get my desired result. I have since been training hard and I believe by September, I will be in optimum best form," added Kimetto. Endi

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