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Koech eyes Amsterdam title in third attempt
Two-time Hamburg Marathon champion Bernard Koech returns to the Netherlands on October 20 hoping to win the Amsterdam Marathon title on his third attempt.
In 2021, Koech finished second in a personal best of 2:04:09 behind Ethiopia’s Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola (2:03:39) and ahead of Leul Gebresilase (2:04:12).
On his debut in 2013, he was third in 2:06:29 behind Wilson Chebet (2:05:35) and Ethiopia’s Birhanu Girma (2:06:04).
In April, he defended his Hamburg Marathon title in 2:04:24, 15 seconds slower than in 2023.
The 31-year-old’s impressive resume features runners-up finishes from the 2014 Rotterdam Marathon (2:06:08) and the 2012 Lille Half Marathon (59:10).
He finished second at the 2023 Copenhagen Half Marathon clocking 59:13 behind Edward Cheserek (59:11).
He placed fourth at the 2022 Chicago Marathon (2:07:15) in a race won by Olympic bronze medalist Benson Kipruto (2:04:24) with Ethiopia’s Seifu Tura (2:04:49) and John Korir (2:05:01) completing the podium.
Koech placed fourth at the 2014 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in 59:46.
He recorded a Did Not Finish at the 2013 World Championships.
Koech's main competition will come from the Ethiopians led by the 2023 Frankfurt Marathon third-place finisher Guye Adola.
Adola boasts a personal best of 2:03:46 set during the 2017 Berlin Marathon when he placed second behind two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge (2:03:32).
The Ethiopian holds victories from the 2021 Berlin marathon (2:05:45), the 2014 New Delhi Half Marathon (59:06) and the 2017 Ostia Half Marathon (59:18).
He will be joined by Tsegaye Getachew, who claimed the Amsterdam title in 2022 in 2:04:49.
The 2024 Hamburg Marathon runner-up Winfridah Moraa and 2014 World Half Marathon bronze medalist Selly Chepyego lead the Kenyan charge in the women's race.
Moraa has a personal best of 2:18:25 from Hamburg and has notable wins from the 2022 Madrid (1:07:22) and Arezzo (1:07:58) half marathons.
Chepyego, with a PB of 2:20:03 from her second-place finish at last year’s Barcelona Marathon, is no stranger to the podium.
She claimed gold at the 2001 World Youth Championships in the 3,000m (9:09.95) and bronze at the 2014 World Half Marathon Championships (1:07:52).
(09/26/2024) Views: 220 ⚡AMPby Teddy Mulei
TCS Amsterdam Marathon
Do you want to enjoy Amsterdam in October and all that the city has to offer you? Want to feel a real athlete and start and finish in the historic Olympic stadium? Or run across the widely discussed passage under the beautiful National Museum? Then come to Amsterdam for the annual TCS Amsterdam Marathon in October! The TCS Amsterdam Marathon...
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