World record-holder from Kenya joins forces with wearables company Amazfit ahead of this years Rotterdam Marathon and Olympics

When Eliud Kipchoge ran a sub-two-hour marathon in an unofficial time trial in Vienna in 2019, he was helped by a phalanx of elite pacemakers, Nike super-shoes and INEOS sports scientists.

On April 14 in Rotterdam, Kelvin Kiptum will attempt to become the first man to break the two-hour barrier in an official race. Like Kipchoge he is sponsored by Nike but it was revealed in Paris on Thursday (Feb 1) that he will be powered through his training build-up by Amazfit smart wearables.

Kiptum already holds the world record with his 2:00:35 from Chicago last October. It was just his third marathon, too, after running a world record for a debut of 2:01:53 in Valencia in December 2022 and a London Marathon course record of 2:01:25 in April 2023.

Kiptum will be wearing the Amazfit Cheetah Pro watch in training and races plus the Amazfit Helio Ring to optimize his recovery. It is an eye-catching sponsorship move by the global wearables brand which was launched as recently as 2015 and which is owned by health company Zepp Health.

Kiptum was unable to be at the launch in the French capital due to travel problems, but the 24-year-old said: Teaming up with Amazfit for this ground-breaking journey is truly exciting. The Amazfit Cheetah Pro has become an integral part of my training regimen.

As I aim to break the two-hour mark in Rotterdam and pursue gold at the Paris Olympics, I am confident that Amazfit will be my ultimate ally in pushing the limits of human potential. Together, we are set to redefine whats possible.

Pengtao Yu from Zepp Health added: We are thrilled about the collaboration between Amazfit and Kelvin Kiptum. As a health technology company, we are proud to support Kelvins quest to break records and inspire individuals worldwide to pursue their own health and fitness goals. This partnership is a testament to our commitment to empowering people to lead healthier lives through intelligent healthcare fitness solutions.

The Amazfit Cheetah Pro features the MaxTrack dual-band circularly-polarized GPS antenna, which has been tested to reach 99.5% the accuracy of a professional GPS locator, along with the brands innovative Zepp Coach an AI solution that generates tailored plans and guidance for athletes looking to prepare for marathons in their optimal condition.

My 2:00:35 in Chicago was an amazing run and made me believe I can achieve something really special in the Rotterdam Marathon, said Kiptum. Working with Amazfit will help me do it, too.

As well as the watch, Kiptum will be using the new Amazfit Helio Ring to aid recovery during his reported 150-mile training weeks, with in-depth analysis of sleep quality, mental and physical readiness courtesy of the products BioTracker and EDA sensors.

The Amazfit Cheetah Pro is available at Amazfit.com and select retailers worldwide with the Amazfit Helio ring released this spring.