FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Duncan Kibet Breaks Course Record,
Anna Incerti Takes Milan In Almost Freezing Conditions
Duncan Kibet and Anna Incerti are the winners of the 9th Samsung Milan City
Marathon. The 30 year-old Kenyan broke the course record, finishing 2:07:53
on the impressive Piazza Castello in the centre of the city. Elias Chelimo
and Leonard Mucheru took second and third with 2:08:39 and 2:10:05. Despite
the almost freezing weather conditions with temperatures of 3° Celsius at
the start plus some wind during the race all three Kenyans clocked personal
bests on the fast Milan course.
In contrast to Kibet's win the triumph of Anna Incerti was quite a
surprise. The 28 year-old Italian took the race with a great personal best
of 2:27:42, beating the big favourite Pamela Chepchumba. The defending
champion from Kenya finished second with 2:28:34. Ethiopia's Merima Denboba
took third place with 2:29:57. It was the first time since the inaugural
race that the Samsung Milan City Marathon produced an Italian winner. Back
in 2000 Lucilla Andreucci had taken the women's race as well.
The Samsung Milano City Marathon confirmed its position as Italy's fastest
men's race. A record number of 5,875 runners from 61 countries registered
for the marathon.
In the men's race a group of six runners reached the half way mark in 64:02
minutes. Behind the two Kenyan pacemakers Elijah Keitani and Benson Cherono
(who had been Milan's course record holder with 2:07:58) there were fellow
Kenyans Duncan Kibet, Leonard Mucheru, Elias Chelimo and Marocco's Rachid
Kisri. At 30 k (1:31:26), just before the pacemakers dropped out, Kisri
lost contact to the group. So the three Kenyans Kibet, Chelimo and Mucheru,
who are all managed by Federico Rosa, were left at front to battle it out.
It was Mucheru, who first lost contact just after the 35 k mark (1:46:47).
He had been unlucky because of a toe nail problem. The nail came off during
the race so Mucheru was running with some pain. But he still managed to
achieve his goal by taking third place with 2:10:05.
The wind had been especially disturbing in the part from 25 k to beyond 30
k, which led to a slower pace at this stage of the race. But with about six
kilometres to go Duncan Kibet surged ahead, now running kilometre splits of
well under 3:00 minutes. The fastest one was the 37th k with 2:52. "I had
felt a slight problem with my muscle in my leg at around 28 k. So I was not
pushing too hard at that stage of the race. I was more careful then. But it
got better so that I could run faster again," Duncan Kibet said. Because of
his great speed in the final kilometres he still managed to break the
course record by five seconds, which had seemed out of reach at 35 k.
Additionally it is a personal best for Duncan Kibet. In his first marathon
he had been second in Vienna this April with 2:08:33. "I am very happy to
have won this and to have broken the course record. I think I have the
potential to further improve in the marathon", said Duncan Kibet.
While Duncan Kibet had always been in the first group and in control it was
a different race for women's winner Anna Incerti. Right from the start the
Italian chose a slightly slower pace than the two leading women. But
defending champion Pamela Chepchumba, who had company with Merima Denboba
(Ethiopia), did not run as fast as expected and so their lead at half way
was just twelve seconds. 1:14:01 was the split time for the two while Anna
Incerti reached this point in 1:14:13. The Italian crowd favourite, who had
been tipped to become Italy's next great women marathoner before the race
in Milan, then reached the leaders at 23 k. "Before the start I never had
thought that I could win this one. But when I caught Pamela I realised that
she had slowed and that I might have a chance," said Anna Incerti. It was
soon after 30 k, when Merima Denboba was dropped. The Ethiopian finished
third with a personal best of 2:29:57. Anna Incerti then broke away just
before the 40 k mark. Breaking 2:30 for the first time she achieved her
biggest success in her career so far. Both winners earned prize money of
20,000 Euros. "I found it hard to run in the wind and I got problems at 39
k," explained Pamela Chepchumba why she was unable to defend her title in
Milan.
Results, Men:
1. Duncan Kibet KEN 2:07:53
2. Elias Chelimo KEN 2:08:39
3. Leonard Mucheru KEN 2:10:05
4. Rachid Kisri MAR 2:11:53
5. Benjamin Korir KEN 2:13:17
6. Musundeki Ikoko TAN 2:13:32
7. Ali Mabrouk El Zaidi LBA 2:13:33
8. Oleksandr Kuzin UKR 2:13:43
9. Christopher Isegwe TAN 2:16:52
Women:
1. Anna Incerti ITA 2:27:42
2. Pamela Chepchumba KEN 2:28:34
3. Merima Denboba ETH 2:29:57
4. Ivana Iozzia ITA 2:37:32
5. Bizuhan Kiflegiorgis ETH 2:40:03
More information is available online at: www.milanocitymarathon.it
###
|
