FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Beijing Marathon Sunday - Preview
One week after the IAAF World half-marathon championships in Nanning, the
distance running focus remains in China with the 30th anniversary edition
of the Beijing Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label event. And the likelihood, as
with Wilson Kiprop in Nanning, is that a Kenyan will win in the Chinese
capital.
The favourite, both by dint of his victory last year, and in his own
estimation yesterday is Sammy Mugo. Now 24, Mugo set a personal best of
2.08.20 in winning last year. He had to drop out of Boston earlier this
year with bronchial problems, but reckons he's ready to run well again, and
fast.
"I developed a chest problem on the way to Boston, and had to drop out at
25k. But I feel fine now. I soon got back into training, and I'm going
well, and feeling very strong. I think I can improve a lot". Asked who his
principal rivals for Sunday's race would be, he responded, "I don't have
any".
Several men would likely disagree. Compatriot, Nicholas Kamakya was only 20
seconds behind, in his debut last year, and says he feels much stronger
after running the Rome Marathon in Spring. Another Kenyan, Salim Kipsang
has run 2.07.29, and has won in Paris and Tokyo. And Gudisa Shentema of
Ethiopia has run 2.07.34.
The Beijing Marathon was launched in 1981, as part of the wave of
innovation in China, following what was called the 'opening up' of the
country, instituted by Deng Xiaoping, in the post-Mao era.
The race had an early impact in the athletics world when, inside three
years in the mid-eighties, two men - Taisuke Kodama of Japan and Abebe
Mekonnen of Ethiopia - won in 2.07.35, then the fifth fastest in the world.
But so fast has the marathon world been accelerating recently that that
time would be just creep into this year's top 30.
But Mugo aims to change that. "If the weather is good, we can run faster
than that," he said yesterday.
The women's record of 2.19.39, by Sun Ying Jie of China in 2003, is both
more recent and more spectacular; and seems unlikely to broken this
weekend. Leading contenders for victory are the training partners from
Hebei province, Chen Rong, a winner here three years ago, and Wang Jia Li.
Wang is marginally faster with 2.26.34 to Chen's 2.27.05, but is less
consistent, and admitted at yesterday's press conference that after a 2.39
here in 2007, "folks here are not familiar with me. I need to do better to
make an impact".
There was a nice moment following the press conference, when Chen and Wang
were asked who was the stronger at the moment, and each immediately pointed
at the other. But they should not be alone in their rivalry, since Asha
Gigi Roba of Ethiopa has run half a minute faster than Wang, and there are
two more 2.27 women, Asmae Leghzaoui of Morocco, and one of the Nurgalieva
twins, Olesya, from Perm in Russia.
Temperatures are expected to be cool, around 10C for the race which begins
in Tiananmen Square, and ends in the 2008 Olympic complex. There will be
around 30,000 competitors from over 50 countries for the three races, with
around 8000 running the marathon.
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