Running News Daily

Global medalists Gebreslase and Gebresilase head Sydney Marathon fields

Ethiopia’s 2022 world champion Gotytom Gebreslase and her compatriot Leul Gebresilase, the 2023 world bronze medalist, feature in the fields for the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (15).

Gebreslase is a two-time world marathon medalist, having added silver in Budapest to the gold she gained in Oregon, while she won the Berlin Marathon in 2021 and finished third in the New York and Tokyo marathons in 2022.

The 29-year-old ran her PB of 2:18:11 in Oregon and 2:18:18 in Tokyo, and earlier this year she clocked 2:21:19 to finish third in Hamburg.

But Gebreslase is set to face a strong challenge, with four other sub-2:20 runners on the entry list. Her compatriot Tadu Teshome is fastest of them all with the PB of 2:17:36 she set when finishing fourth in Valencia in 2022. In 2023 she raced three marathons, finishing fifth in Chicago, sixth in Shanghai and eighth in London. In June she set a 10km PB of 31:13 in Durban.

Joining them are Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga and Buzunesh Getachew, plus Kenya’s Judith Jeptum Korir, who secured world silver behind Gebreslase in Oregon two years ago.

Aga won the Tokyo Marathon in 2019 and more recently finished second in Dubai in January in a PB-equaling 2:18:09 and first in Daegu in 2:21:07. Getachew set her PB of 2:19:27 when winning in Frankfurt last October, while Korir’s career best is the 2:18:20 she ran in Oregon. She went on to finish fourth in the London Marathon that year in 2:18:43 but did not finish when racing the Boston Marathon earlier this year.

Also entered are Kenya’s Viola Kibiwot, Sharon Chelimo and Beatrice Cheptoo, plus Japan’s Mao Uesugi.

Gebresilase is the fastest in the men’s field, thanks to the PB of 2:04:02 he set in Dubai in 2018. Since then he has become a global medallist, getting bronze in Budapest in 2023, the same year in which he finished fourth in the London Marathon. He ran 1:01:24 for the half marathon in Ras Al Khaimah in February but did not finish on his return to London in April.

In Sydney he faces three other sub-2:05 runners and another seven who have dipped under 2:08. His compatriot Chalu Deso is a strong contender, as he ran 2:04:53 in Valencia in 2020 and more recently won the Tokyo Marathon in March last year in 2:05:22. He raced the Paris Marathon in April, clocking 2:07:39.

Ethiopia’s Haftu Teklu ran 2:04:42 when finishing fifth in Berlin last year, while Kenya’s Brimin Kipkorir Misoi won the Frankfurt Marathon last October in a PB of 2:04:53.

They will line up alongside Ethiopia’s Tafese Delelegn and Tadu Abate, who finished third in Berlin in 2022, plus Kenya’s Laban Korir, Reuben Kerio and Michael Mugo Githae, and Japan’s Hidekazu Hijikata and Tetsuya Yoroizaka.