He has been the most dominant marathon runner in the world since the beginning of 2014 and has five consecutive wins in top-class races to his name. All these races were won in fast times, including the world-leading time of 2:03:05 that he ran in London in April.

 

If Kipchoge is not the winner on Sunday, it will most probably be his compatriot, Stanley Biwott, who is the next best man on the 2016 world list and also the next man on many people's list of potential gold medallists.

 

Biwott followed Kipchoge home in a time of 2:03:51 in the London Marathon in April.

 

But this is all pure speculation. Major championship marathons are unpredictable, mainly for three reasons. Firstly, most top road runners tend to do just one or two marathons in any 12-month period, making it difficult to assess their form. Major championships are also held in the peak of summer, which conflicts with the spring and autumn road-running seasons. And finally, the conditions at many major championships aren't always conducive to marathon running.

 

Apart from Josiah Thugwane, who won a gold medal in 1996 at the Atlanta Olympic Games, the performances by South African marathon athletes were, to say the least, disappointing. But maybe things will change this Sunday when Lungile Gongqa and Sibusiso Nzima (both Nedbank Running Club) and Lusapho April will all line up to race.

 

In spite of being an Olympic novice, Nzima is hoping for a top 10 finish. His confidence sprouts from his seventh place at the South African 21 km Championship where he ran a time of 1:02:37. His best marathon time is 2:13:42.

 

According to Nzima the secret to being a good marathoner is to be able to stay focused and dedicated all the time while preparing for a marathon.

 

'If you're not prepared to put in the long hours, it is guaranteed that you will be found wanting at some stage during the race. There is just no other way to race a marathon.'

 

Nzima has good reason to consider his coach, Hendrick Ramaala, as a role model. In 2004 Ramaala won the New York Marathon in a time of 2:09:28 and in 2006 he ran a best time of 2:06:55 in London. His best Olympic performance was in 2000 in Sydney when he finished 12th in 2:16:19.

 

The 37-year-old Gongqa, who is also being coached by Ramaala, is a bit more modest when asked what he hopes to achieve on Sunday.

 

'I am just going to run to the best of my ability. Nobody can expect anything more from me,' said the Nedbank athlete, whose best marathon time is 2:11:59.

 

Ramaala says he would be happy if his two protégés could finish in the top 20.

 

'They are still novices when it comes to marathon running and it is the first time that they will be competing at the Games. My advice to them is not to go out there and expect to win. I just want both of them to run to the best of their abilities. Then whatever happens, happens. What will help them is the fact that there will be no real expectations for them to perform.'

 

Nick Bester, Nedbank Running Club Manager, is quite excited about the fact that two of his athletes will be competing.

 

'It is proof that our development programme is paying dividends. Everybody thinks that we are focused only on helping potential Comrades and Two Oceans champions, but it is not so.

 

'The goal of Nedbank Running Club is to identify talented young athletes all over the country and then help them to fulfil their dreams, whether they want to compete as track athletes or in cross-country races, marathons or ultraraces.

 

'When any of our athletes excel, it makes us proud to think that we, as a club, may have played a small part in their success.