Press Release - Vienna City Marathon - 4/18/24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
                     VIENNA CITY MARATHON ON SUNDAY:      

              Nazret Weldu wants to get to Paris via Vienna

Nazret Weldu intends to get to Paris via Vienna on Sunday. The Eritrean 
long distance runner is among a number of athletes who target a last minute 
qualification for the Olympic Games in August at the Vienna City Marathon. 
Weldu is the favourite in the women's race and could produce the first ever 
Eritrean victory in the history of Austria's major road running event. 

A total of over 42,000 runners have entered the 41st edition of the Vienna 
City Marathon. This is the third highest entry number of the event. For the 
first time since 2013 there are more than 10,000 marathon runners among 
them. The Vienna City Marathon is an Elite Label Road Race of World 
Athletics.

Nazret Weldu broke the national marathon record at the World Championships 
in Eugene in 2022 with 2:20:29. She placed fourth and missed the bronze 
medal by just eleven seconds. She was additionally unlucky since the 
qualifying period for the Olympic Games in Paris did not start until a few 
months later. Nazret Weldu ran two impressive marathons in 2023 as well, 
but somehow still did not achieve an Olympic qualifier. She was sixth in 
Boston with a fine 2:23:25. However this course is not record eligible, so 
World Athletics does not accept the Boston times for qualification. Next 
Nazret Weldu produced another very strong performance at the World 
Championships: In tremendous heat she finished eighth in Budapest - this 
time she was outside the 2:26:50 Olympic qualifying time with 2:27:23.

"I was fourth in the World Championships in 2022 and eighth in 2023 and 
still I am not qualified for the Olympic marathon this year in Paris," she 
said during Thursday's press conference in Vienna. "But now I have the big 
chance to finally do it here in Vienna. My goal is to run a fast time on 
Sunday. I will see how it goes during the race. If there should be problems 
then I will make sure to run just fast enough to qualify for Paris," 
explained Nazret Weldu, who trains in Ethiopia. "The reason for training in 
Addis is that I have a strong training group there." Among her training 
partners is Ethiopia's 2022 World Champion Gotytom Gebreslase who was 
runner-up in Budapest last year. 

While fellow-Eritrean Dolshi Tesfu had to cancel her start in Vienna due to 
visa problems the strongest challenge for Nazret Weldu will probably come 
from two Kenyans: Shyline Torotich won the Enschede Marathon last year with 
a personal best of 2:22:45. The personal record of Rebecca Tanui is in a 
similar time range. She took the San Sebastian Marathon in 2022 with 
2:23:09 and has the advantage of knowing the course in Vienna. A year ago 
she was fourth here with 2:26:34 when there were warm conditions. 

"Last year I was unlucky since I was injured two weeks before the race. 
During training a motorcycle hit me from behind. This year I am fine," said 
Rebecca Tanui. "For me the cooler conditions forecasted now are better than 
the warm weather we had last year. So I hope to run a PB on Sunday."

Namibia's Helalia Johannes is the fastest woman on the start list with a 
personal best of 2:19:52. The 43 year-old is not expected to join the first 
group which is likely to run roughly a 2:22 pace. However she will be among 
those runners who target the Olympic qualifying time of 2:26:50. Jovana de 
la Cruz Capani of Peru will probably join this group as well. To be among 
the three fastest runners of her country during the qualifying period she 
needs to improve her PB of 2:26:49 by just three seconds.

With a surprise improvement to 2:26:43 in Valencia last year Austria's 
Julia Mayer has achieved the Olympic qualifying time. "I am ready to go on 
Sunday, it is a home game for me. I don't expect to run a PB, but the goal 
is to achieve a very good place," said Mayer.

Kenyans Faith Chepkoech and Winny Kosgei are part of this year's "OPEC Fund 
Rookie Team" in Vienna. They will both run their marathon debuts on Sunday.

ELITE WOMEN: 

Helalia Johannes         NAM 2:19:52
Nazret Weldu             ERI 2:20:29
Shyline Torotich         KEN 2:22:45
Rebecca Tanui            KEN 2:23:09
Julia Mayer              AUT 2:26:43
Jovana de la Cruz Capani PER 2:26:49
Lilia Fisikovici         MLD 2:27:26
Zaida Ramos              PER 2:29:49
Diana Bogantes Gonzalez  CRI 2:32:09
Alina Armas              NAM 2:33:09
Faith Chepkoech          KEN Debut
Winny Kosgei             KEN Debut

For more information please visit: www.vienna-marathon.com

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