Gebrselassie aims to break Makau’s record

Marathon champ Haile Gebrselassie has made a bold challenge to try and reclaim his world marathon record in Tokyo this weekend.

It’s been five months since Gebrselassie’s 2:03:59 record fell to Kenya’s Patrick Makau, but Geb says he’s ready to take it back on Sunday.

“I have come here in a good condition,” the 38-year-old dubbed the “Emperor” told Reuters.

He was scheduled to run in Tokyo last year, but fell during training and pulled out of the race. He also pulled out of the Berlin marathon in September with asthma, as his record fell to Makau’s 2:03:38.

Gebrselassie faces some stiff competition on Sunday, including race record holder Viktor Roethlin of Switzerland, last year’s winner Hailu Mekonnen and Japanese talent Yuki Kawauchi.