FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on Sunday:
Eliud Kipchoge ready for fast times in Berlin
Eliud Kipchoge is ready for a very fast race in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on
Sunday which may well lead him to break the world record here for the
second time. The double Olympic champion, who set the current world record
of 2:01:39 in Berlin four years ago and also broke the two-hour barrier
when he ran 1:59:40.2 in a race in Vienna in 2019 which did not conform to
regulations, will start as the clear favourite.
Organisers of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON have registered 45,527 runners from
157 nations for the 48th edition of the event. Germany's most spectacular
road race is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM) and is also a
Platinum Label Road Race of the international athletics federation, World
Athletics.
The 37-year-old Kenyan held back from making any hard and fast promises
when he spoke two days before the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. "I'd like to thank
the organisers for letting me race again in Berlin after four years and
expect a very good race. I've trained well as usual – every training day is
a challenge."In response to the question at the press conference, what
would be "a very good race" for him, Eliud Kipchoge answered: "A very good
race is a good race." That got the audience on his side before he added: "I
want to inspire people and if a course record comes out of this at the end,
I will appreciate it," added this outstanding athlete. It should be noted
that the course record is, of course, the world record, but Eliud Kipchoge
was careful not to utter these words.
The world record holder, whose career so far has brought him victory in all
but two of his 18 marathons, could well achieve his fourth win in Berlin
after taking the title in 2015, 2017 and 2018. That would bring him equal
with the Ethiopian legend Haile Gebrselassie as the two men with most wins
in Berlin. If the world athlete of the year for 2018 and 2019 is in world
record form, Eliud Kipchoge should prove unbeatable on Sunday. On the other
hand, the elite field has plenty of strength in depth. Heading the list of
challengers is last year's champion Guye Adola from Ethiopia, winning the
title in unseasonably warm conditions in 2:05:45 and beating the Ethiopian
superstar Kenenisa Bekele into the bargain.
It was in Berlin in 2017 that Guye Adola ran what remains his personal best
of 2:03:46 and on his debut at the distance. Only Eliud Kipchoge finished
ahead of him though from time to time Adola took the lead. "I have prepared
well and look forward to the race," said the 31-year-old, who described
Kipchoge as "a hero."
The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON has greater strength in depth among the men's elite
field than ever before. As many as 18 runners have personal bests under
2:08. Among them is Ghirmay Ghebreslassie who caused a surprise when
winning the world title in 2015 and also won in New York the following
year. The Eritrean athlete has a best of 2:05:34 which he set in finishing
third in Seville in February. "It's a big challenge to run in such a field
and against Eliud Kipchoge. I'll do my best and my aim is a place on the
podium," said Ghirmay Ghebreslassie.
An unusually large number of Japanese runners will be among the elite
starters, the reason being that they are trying to qualify for the 2024
Olympics. There will be 13 of them with personal bests of under 2:10 in the
BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. The fastest of them is Ryu Takaku with a best of
2:06:45.
The leading German in the field is Johannes Motschmann, who was a member of
the German team at the European Championships which won the silver medal in
Munich. Despite a short recovery time of six weeks since that competition,
the 28-year-old wants to improve his personal best of 2:12:18 in the
direction of 2:10. "The race in Berlin is the biggest of my career so far.
Since I'm a hometown boy here, I'd even rate it above the European
Championship marathon," said Motschmann, who runs for the Marathon Team
Berlin.
The Austrian record holder, Peter Herzog, will also be aiming to take
advantage of conditions at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON and run faster than ever
before. His current best is 2:10:06 and his ambition is to become the first
Austrian to break 2:10.
Brazilian Football Legend Kaka runs in Berlin
While a double world athlete of the Year in Eliud Kipchoge will take centre
stage, a former star of world sport will be running some way behind him:
the Brazilian football legend Kaka, a member of the team which won the
World Cup in 2002, and also a Champions League winner and Footballer of the
Year.
"I definitely wanted to run a major marathon and asked friends who
recommended Berlin to me. That's why I'm here. On Sunday I want to run
3:40. The marathon is something very special in that we, as mass runners,
run together with the elite. I'm very excited," admitted Kaka at the press
conference.
Elite runners with personal bests
Eliud Kipchoge KEN 2:01:39
Guye Adola ETH 2:03:46
Ghirmay Ghebreslassie ERI 2:05:34
Dejene Debela ETH 2:05:46
Mark Korir KEN 2:05:49
Ashenafi Moges ETH 2:06:12
Tadu Abate ETH 2:06:13
Bethwel Yegon KEN 2:06:14
Awet Habte ERI 2:06:25
Ryu Takaku JPN 2:06:45
Limenih Getachew ETH 2:06:47
Hiroto Inoue JPN 2:06:47
Zablon Chumba KEN 2:07:18
Kenya Sonota JPN 2:07:23
Kento Kikutani JPN 2:07:26
Kazuki Muramoto JPN 2:07:36
Tadashi Isshiki JPN 2:07:39
Atsumi Ashiwa JPN 2:07:54
Daisuke Doi JPN 2:08:13
Rintaro Takeda JPN 2:08:48
Yuki Matsumura JPN 2:09:01
Peter Herzog AUT 2:10:06
Johannes Motschmann GER 2:12:18
More information is available online at: www.berlin-marathon.com
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