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Kenyans have their work cut out after Ethiopia named a formidable Paris Olympic marathon team that includes veteran Kenenisa Bekele and world record holder Tigist Assefa.
Ethiopia has named a strong Olympic marathon team that is led by veteran Kenenisa Bekele and world record holder Tigist Assefa.
Bekele, who surprised all to finish second at the London Marathon last month, will get a crack at his final Olympics in what will be his fourth appearance at the Games after Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
The 41-year-old showed that he’s still got it when he pushed Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso for the London Marathon crown before the 27-year-old prevailed in the final stretch.
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His inclusion into the team will see him renew his rivalry with Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, the two-time Olympic champion. Bekele and Kipchoge first competed against each other at the 2003 World Championships in Paris where the Kenyan won the 5,000m with the Ethiopian finishing third behind Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj.
Bekele will be joined by Sisay Lemma, who destroyed the field to win the Boston Marathon last month, coming over three months since his victory in Valencia when he lowered the course record.
Lemma will be no pushover in Paris given how he has dominated his last two races. He broke Kelvin Kiptum’s course record [2:01:53] in Valencia, clocking 2:01:48, to become the fourth man to run under 2:02, before leading from start to finish in Boston where the second placed runner Mohamed Esa finished 41 seconds later.
Deresa Geleta, who ran a course record of 2:03:27 to win the Sevilla marathon in February, completes the three-man team of Ethiopia with New York Marathon Tamirat Tola and Eusedin Mohammed on standby as reserves.
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Meanwhile, world record holder Assefa, the two-time Berlin Marathon champion, leads the women’s team that also has world champion Amane Beriso, third in Tokyo this year, Megertu Alemu, who finished fourth in London last month.
Gotytom Gebresilase, the 2022 world champion, who finished second at the Worlds last year, and Buze Diriba, fourth in Boston this year, are the standby reserves.
It is an experienced team that Ethiopia is counting on for gold and is expected to give Kenya a run for their money given the battles witnessed recently.
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Assefa, who broke the world record [2:11:53] in Berlin last year, finished second behind Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir, the Olympics champion, in London after clocking 2:16:23 which also bettered Mary Keitany’s seven-year women’s-only world record.
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