World marathon record holders Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei will lead the Kenyan team at the Tokyo Olympic Games this year, Kenya's athletics chiefs have confirmed.
Olympic champion Kipchoge, holds the official world marathon record of 2:01:39, which he set in Berlin on Sept. 16, 2018.
Kosgei won Chicago Marathon in 2018 and 2019, where she ran a world record time of 2:14:04 last year. She also won the London Marathon in 2019.
Multiple world champion and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic 5,000m gold medallist and 10,000m silver medallist, Vivian Cheruiyot and reigning world marathon champion Ruth Chemngetich will also represent the East African nation.
Valary Ayabei and Sally Chepyego have been named as reserves.
Cheruiyot has participated in four previous Olympics, making her Games debut in 2000 in Sydney where she reached the final of the 5,000 metres. At the London 2012 Games, she won silver in 5,000m and bronze in the 10,000m, before reaching the top of the podium in Rio four years ago, winning gold in the 5,000m
The other top names in the men's team are last year's Boston Marathon winner Lawrence Cherono, world marathon medallist Amos Kipruto, with Titus Ekiru and Bedan Karoki as reserves.
Athletics Kenya will name the rest of the team after trials in June in Eldoret, Kenya's distance running heartland some 350km north west of capital Nairobi.