Nairobi, Nov 13 (IANS): Not even Dennis Kimetto can say if he is ready for a comeback after several false starts since he was injured in 2016.

The 34-year-old Kenyan is expected to lead a horde of elite runners at this Sunday's Shanghai Marathon in China, but he said he is only keen to finish the race in a fast time and get his career off the rocks, reports Efe.

"If the weather is good then I want to run a good time. I think 2:07:00 to 2:08:00 would be good. But I have suffered enough with injuries and I don't want to raise my hopes high. I was ready for Vienna, but I got injured again," he said on Tuesday from Eldoret.

Kimetto, who ran a world record of 2:02:57 in Berlin four years ago, only finished two marathons in the past three years. He was third in London in 2015 with a time of 2:05:50, then clocked in 2:11:44 for ninth place in the same race in 2016.

"Since 2015 I have been in and out with injuries. Every now and again for more than two years," said Kimetto who still holds the 25km world record of 1:11:18 which he set in May 2012 in Berlin.

He first injured his quadricep, then his groin and finally his tricep. In April, he aggravated his calf muscle injury and was not able to finish the race in Vienna.

Kimetto has been to Germany for treatment and hopes to exorcise his ghosts for good when he returns to the marathon course in Shanghai on Sunday.