FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
La Marato De Barcelona Consolidates In The European Elite
The Kenyan Levy Matebo Omari won with a record of 2h07'31, the fourth best
of the world this year and only one second over the record established in
the past edition by his compatriot Jackson Kotut
The 15.075 participants, 13.062 starters and 12.564 finishers established a
new record of participation for a marathon that reaffirmed its condition of
international with 45% of foreign runners proceeding from approximately 40
countries
If there was some doubt, la Marató de Barcelona, that only six years ago
was cancelled in order to start a new stage in 2006, was consolidated last
March 6 as the best marathon of Spain and one of the best of Europe in
participation and records. With 15.075 new recruits, 13.062 starters and
12.564 finishers, the numbers of participation show the growth this race
has experienced, race won by the Kenyan Levy Matebo Omari with a record of
2h07'31", the fourth of the world this year and only one second lower than
the record of the race established in 2010 by his compatriot Jackson Kotut.
The record of Omari, who is only 21 years old, put the final touch to a
marathon that was reaffirmed as the fastest of Spain and that had an
excellent citizens' response, with dozens of thousands of persons watching
the passage of the runners in the streets and 40 points of animation
distributed by an attractive circuit that had its start and arrival in the
avenue María Cristina, in front of the well known fountains of Montjuïc,
and that went through the main tourist points of Barcelona. The claim of
the city attracted to numerous foreign runners (45% of the participants) of
more than 40 countries, being France, UK and Italy, in this order, the most
represented.
Levy Matebo Omari, winner of the marathon of Brussels in 2010, reduced in
more than 4 minutes his personal record (2h12'06" in La Rochelle 2010) and
clearly surpassed his compatriots Joseph Kimeli Lagat, second with 2h10'05"
and Josephat Yego, third with 2h10'44", while the Catalan Marc Roig, ninth
with 2h18'08", was the first Spanish.
In spite of the absence in block of the Ethiopians runners who had problems
with their visas and did not come to Barcelona, the race was very fast from
the beginning due to the strong pace given by the pacemakers, the Kenyans
Nicholas Korir, Edwin Kipyego and Mark Tanui and Gamal Belal Salem from
Qatar, who passed the kilometer 10 in 29'59" dragging besides them all the
favorites.
The group, composed by eleven runners, remained compact up to the half
marathon, which was passed in 1h03'59" with Kipyego installed in first
position. In the kilometer 30 there were still 8 runners ahead and in
kilometer 31, when the pacemakers finished their work, it was when the race
was definitively broken and Levy Matebo Omari left only ahead. His passing
in Km. 35 (1h45'59") and 40 (2h00'55") made dream with a new record of the
event, but at the end he paid the effort in solitary and the record and a
bonus of 5.000€ escaped for only one second. "It is a shame that in a
second has escaped from me the record, but nothing happens. I hope that
they return to invite me next year and that then, I can break it" declared
the winner.
Marc Roig, who in the previous weeks to the marathon had been training in
Kenya with a group of European athletes among them Arturo Casado, who also
valued his record and his final ninth position as the first Spanish. "I am
happy because I have improved my record and the position of last year, but
I must also admit that my objective was to approach at 2h15' and I have not
reached it" assured the athlete from Sant Pol de Mar who made a nice battle
in the first group after the Kenyans with Toni Bernadó from Andorra, who
was seventh with 2h17'19" and did the minimum time requested by the IAAF
for his fifth Olympic Games of London 2012, and the Portuguese Elias
Rodrigues Bastos, eighth with 2h17'27".
In feminine category, the surprise winner was Josephine Ambjörnsson, a
popular Swedish athlete who won her first marathon with 2h45'31" ahead of
the debutant Nuria Prieto from Madrid, second with 2h56'59". The absence in
the last moment of the three Ethiopian runners who had to attack the record
of Ana Isabel Alonso from Palencia (2h30'05") was decisive and the feminine
race remained lame. The Catalan Rosa Espachs, sixth with 3h00'24" was the
first Spanish women in the finish line.
The Expo Sports, the other success of the race
In spite of the records and the new record of participation, which trebles
the number registered in 2006 when the new organization headed by
Barcelona's City Hall and the companies RPM Racing and ASO organized the
event, the runners' fair of this year that was named Expo Sports was
another great success of la Marató de Barcelona. During the two prior days
to la Marató, the Expo Sports turned into the neuralgic center of the event
with a wide offer of 12.000 m2 dedicated to the world of running and
triathlon (the great novelty of this edition) and 114 exhibitors who, with
more than 40.000 visitors, turned it into one of the most important of
Europe in its sector.
LEVI OMARI Winner/ Bib number 8 / 2:07:31 / KENYA: "Just now I feel very
happy. I have made my best personal record, which was 2:12:06 in La
Rochelle. This one has been my third marathon, after La Rochelle and
Brussels, so winning is a very good new".
JOSEPHINE AMBJÖRNSSON/ 1st Women / Bib number 1502 / 2:45:31 / SWEDEN:
"Last year I ran for the first time la Marató de Barcelona and I was in
love with the city, it is wonderful. So this year I have came back and I
have won with a record of 2:47:51 improving the record of last year that
was 2:53. I can't still believe that I have won, this is fantastic, I love
this city".
CLASSIFICATIONS
Men
1. Levi Omari Matebo (Kenya) 2:07:31
2. Joseph Kimeli Lagat (Kenya) 2:10:05
3. Josephat Yego (Kenya) 2:10:44
4. Joash Mutai (Kenya) 2:13:45
5. Isaac Kosgei (Kenya) 2:14:44
6. Nathan Kimeli Naibei (Kenya) 2:15:00
7. Toni Bernadó (Andorra) 2:17:19
8. Elías Rodrigues Bastos (Spa Sorocaba/Brazil) 2:17:27
9. Marc Roig (CA Laietània/Spain) 2:18:08
10. Kennedy Kimutai (Kenya) 2:19:33
11. Daniel Woldu (Sweden) 2:19:41
12. Felix Kimutai (Kenya) 2:21:00
13. Manuel Rabanal (Sport Life/Spain) 2:25:41
14. Clemente Alonso (Triatlón Salamanca/Spain) 2:26:02
15. Marco Antonio Cepeda (J'Arribu/Spain) 2:26:35
Women
1. Josephine Ambjörnsson (Villstad Gif/Sweden) 2:45:31
2. Nuria Prieto (Artyneon/Spain) 2:56:59
3. Martha Hall (Garden City Runners/G. Britain) 2:57:51
4. Karsta Parsiegla (SCC Berlin/Germany) 2:59:14
5. Rosa Espachs (Sícoris Club/Spain) 3:00:24
6. Florence Auclair (Vedas Endurance/France) 3:00:25
7. Anne Zijderveld (Av Passaat/Holland) 3:03:42
8. Sílvia Tremoleda (Independiente/Spain) 3:04:06
###
|
