World record holder Wilson Kipsang said here on Thursday that he is in better form on Sunday's London Marathon than last year when he broke the world mark in Berlin.

The Kenyan set a new world best of 2:03:23 last September when he cruised to victory in the 2013 Berlin Marathon, beating his nearest rival Eliud Kipchoge by more than 40 seconds.

The 32-year-old believed he can do better on Sunday.

"I sit here today as the marathon world record holder so I feel full of confidence compared to last year," he said.

"Since setting the world record I've concentrated on recovering well and building up my mileage again slowly. My preparation has gone to plan and I'm looking forward to seeing how fast I can run on Sunday."

Kipsang, the 2012 champion, acknowledged that he learnt a valuable lesson at last year's London Marathon, when he finished fifth after pushing the pace early in the race only to fade before the 30km mark.

"We have a more experienced pacemaker in Haile this year," he said. "He will take us through halfway in 61:45. Then, because it' s such a strong field, one of us needs to be ready to make a move in the second half of the race.

"It won't be easy, but if I haven't used up too much energy in the first half, I will be ready to push the pace. I believe it's possible to set a world record on the London Marathon course, and if the weather is good on Sunday I'm confident I'll run well."

He's looking to the future too: "My world record isn't safe so I'll keep trying to improve it and also I want to fulfill my dream of winning Olympic gold and the world title." Endite

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