NAIROBI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- World Marathon champion Geoffrey Kirui of Kenya will do everything to deny Chicago Marathon champ Galen Rupp his maiden medal in Boston on Monday.

Kirui, the 24-year-old Kenyan who turned into a breakout star, will be eying to defend his title, which thrust him on the global stage on his way to winning gold at the London World Championships.

"I have done well in training and want to successful defend my title. It will be harder because more people will focus on me, but the distance will be the same to everyone and it will go down to who wants it more," said Kirui.

The Kenyan thanks to his win in Boston last year as the reason he was named in the national team and went on to win gold in London.

But with the world championships coming next year, he believes another win in Boston will cement his place in the Kenya team to Doha 2019 World Championships.

Last year, Kirui beat Rupp to second and the two return to Boston for Monday's race.

The men's race is expected to come down to Rupp and Kirui again in 2018. However, there's plenty of talent behind them.

Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola, the 2016 Olympic 10,000m bronze medalist, set the course record in Dubai last year and finished second behind Kirui at London Worlds.

His countrymen Lelisa Desisa and Lemi Berhanu have both won Boston in the past.

And there is a group of Kenyans hungry for a first World Marathon Major victory, including Nobert Kigen, Evans Chebet, Felix Kandie, and Philemon Rono. All four of them recorded personal bests under 2:07:00 in 2017.

There are high hopes for a domestic winner in the women's race as the line-up includes last year's third-finisher Jordan Hasay (2:20:57), New York Marathon winner Shalane Flanagan (2:21:14), former runner-up Desiree Linden (2:22:38), US half marathon record-holder Molly Huddle (2:28:13) as well as veteran U.S. record-holder Deena Kastor (2:19:36) who is one of four runners in the elite field with a sub-2:20 best time along with Ethiopians Aselefech Mergia (2:19:31) and Buzunesh Deba (2:19:59) and reigning champion Edna Kiplagat (2:19:50).

After her win last year, Kiplagat went on to finish second at the World Championships in London and in November, she placed fourth in New York.

However, she has singled out compatriot and former Boston winner Caroline Rotich to challenge her for the medals.