Running News Daily

In a landmark decision that underscores the continued globalization of athletics, the World Athletics Council, during its 240th meeting in Toruń, officially confirmed the host cities for three major upcoming championships—each reflecting the sport’s expanding footprint and growing appeal across Asia.

India, Kazakhstan, and China have emerged as the chosen hosts for prestigious global events, signaling both trust in their organizational capabilities and recognition of their increasing influence in the athletics world.

The eastern Indian state of Odisha has been awarded the 2028 World Athletics Indoor Championships. Known for its passionate support of sport and its rapidly developing infrastructure, Odisha continues its rise as a prominent destination on the international athletics calendar. This selection builds on India’s broader ambition to establish itself as a global sporting hub.

Two years later, the spotlight will shift to Central Asia, where Astana will host the 2030 edition of the same championships. Astana’s modern facilities and strategic vision position it as an exciting new frontier for indoor athletics, promising a unique blend of elite competition and cultural vibrancy.

Meanwhile, the 2028 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships have been awarded to Hefei. The Chinese city, already familiar with hosting international competitions, is expected to deliver a technically sound and highly competitive event in one of athletics’ most demanding disciplines.

These selections reflect more than logistical planning—they represent a deliberate shift toward inclusivity and global reach. By bringing premier competitions to diverse regions, World Athletics continues to inspire new generations of athletes while strengthening the sport’s worldwide community.

As the road to 2028 and 2030 begins, anticipation will steadily build. New stadiums will come alive, new heroes will emerge, and new stories will be written—each step, stride, and finish line contributing to the ever-evolving legacy of athletics.

The 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships, set to take place from March 21-23 in Nanjing, China, marks the long-awaited return of the competition after a five-year hiatus. Originally scheduled for 2020, the event was postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making this edition one of the most highly anticipated in recent history. With over 500 athletes from approximately 120 nations, the championships will feature world-class competition across 26 events, including the debut of the 4x400m mixed relay as an official indoor discipline.

The Venue: A World-Class Stage in Nanjing

The championships will be held at Nanjing’s Cube, a cutting-edge indoor arena within the Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park. Completed in 2019, the venue boasts state-of-the-art facilities designed to accommodate both athletes and spectators, providing an optimal environment for record-breaking performances.

Exciting Events and New Additions

The championship program features sprints, middle-distance races, hurdles, jumps, throws, and combined events, offering fans three days of intense competition. The 4x400m mixed relay will be contested for the first time at the indoor championships, following its successful debut in outdoor competition. The race order—man, woman, man, woman—adds a strategic element, and the world record standard has been set at 3:12.44.

Qualification and the World Indoor Tour

This year’s World Athletics Indoor Tour, now in its tenth season, plays a crucial role in the road to Nanjing. Featuring over 60 competitions across Europe, North America, and Asia, the tour provides top athletes with an opportunity to secure qualification for the championships. Nine Gold-level meetings were part of the 2025 circuit, beginning in Astana, Kazakhstan, on January 25 and concluding in Madrid, Spain, on February 28.

Athletes who finished as the top point scorers in their disciplines earned a $10,000 bonus and automatic entry into the championships. This season’s scoring disciplines included:

• Women: 60m, 800m, 3000m/5000m, pole vault, triple jump, shot put

• Men: 400m, 1500m/mile, 60m hurdles, high jump, long jump

Star Athletes to Watch

Several elite athletes have confirmed their participation, ensuring a thrilling showdown in Nanjing. Some of the biggest names expected to compete include:

Sprints and Hurdles

Grant Holloway of the United States, the reigning world champion and world record holder in the 60m hurdles, is aiming for his third consecutive world indoor title. He recently extended his 82-race unbeaten streak in the event, making him a strong favorite.

Robin Ganter of Germany, fresh off his 60m national title with a personal best of 6.56 seconds, is a rising contender in the short sprints.

Middle-Distance & Distance Races

Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia, the defending world indoor 800m champion, has been dominant in recent races, including a victory at the Copernicus Cup in Poland.

Stefan Nillessen of the Netherlands broke the national indoor 3000m record with a time of 7:37.10 and clocked a personal best of 3:52.70 in the mile, making him one to watch in the middle-distance events.

What to Expect

With record chases, title defenses, and rising stars looking to make their mark, the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships promises electrifying competition. Fans can expect intense battles on the track, thrilling jumps and throws, and potential record-breaking performances as the world’s best athletes gather in Nanjing for three days of world-class indoor athletics.

Stay tuned to My Best Runs for updates, race previews, and athlete insights as the countdown to Nanjing continues!

The Czech Indoor Gala, scheduled for February 4, 2025, in Ostrava, is set to feature thrilling middle-distance races, particularly in the men’s 800 meters and the women’s 3000 meters.

Men’s 800 Meters:

Czech national record holder Jakub Dudycha will compete on home soil. As a junior, he set a national U20 indoor record of 1:47.42 at the Czech Indoor Gala, later improving it to 1:47.12. Outdoors, he advanced to the semi-finals at the European Championships in Rome, clocking a time under 1:45, and subsequently set a new Czech senior record of 1:44.82 in Bydgoszcz. Dudycha has expressed his ambition to break the national indoor record this season.

He will face formidable international competitors, including Belgium’s Eliott Crestan, who is the sixth fastest European in history with a national record of 1:42.43 set at the Paris Diamond League meeting. Crestan is a bronze medallist from both the European and World Indoor Championships. Another strong contender is Catalin Tecuceanu, representing Italy since 2022, who secured European bronze in Rome and boasts personal bests of 1:45.00 indoors and 1:43.75 outdoors.

Women’s 3000 Meters:

Kristiina Sasínek Mäki, a Tokyo Olympics finalist, will compete in the 3000 meters. She has been training under Swiss coach Louis Heyer and is eager to showcase her progress. However, she will face stiff competition from African athletes. Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu, the 1500m world indoor champion from Glasgow 2024, returns after setting a meeting record in the mile at last year’s Czech Indoor Gala. Joining her is compatriot Sembo Almayew, the junior world record holder in the steeplechase and World U20 champion, as well as Norah Jeruto, the World 3000m steeplechase champion from the 2022 Eugene Championships, now representing Kazakhstan.

The Czech Indoor Gala, part of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold series, continues to attract top-tier talent, ensuring a night of exceptional athletic performances in Ostrava.

Kenya’s double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet and Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo were the winners at the Cross Internacional de Itálica – a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting – held on the outskirts of Seville on Sunday (17).

While two-time world cross-country champion Chebet was a dominant winner of the women’s race, European 10,000m bronze medallist Ndikumwenayo prevailed in a much tighter finish over Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera and pre-race favourite Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi in the men’s contest.

Chebet set a swift pace from the outset, and after just one minute of running she already had a lead over a chase quintet comprising Kazakhstan’s Deisy Jepkemei, Uganda’s Charity Cherop and Kenya’s Mercy, Diana and Sharon Chepkemoi. European 5000m bronze medallist Marta García and fellow Spaniard Carolina Robles were a few metres back, alongside Sweden’s Sarah Lahti.

Chebet covered the opening 2.5km loop in a brisk 7:36, six seconds faster than Jepkemei, herself another three clear of Cherop. The world 10,000m record-holder almost matched that pace on the second lap (7:44), by which time she had doubled her leading margin to 12 seconds.

Over the closing circuit, Chebet maintained her cadence and produced a 7:42 lap to seal the victory. By the time she crossed the finish line in 23:32, her lead had grown to 27 seconds over Jepkemei with Cherop holding off her pursuers to secure third place.

“It was my third appearance here and I managed to triumph at last so I’m very satisfied,” said Chebet. “It has also been very nice to share the weekend with my young compatriots Mercy, Diana and Sharon Chepkemoi.”

Unlike the women’s contest, the men’s race opened at a moderate rhythm. Morocco’s Younes Kniya was the surprise early leader, covering the opening lap in 7:13 while a large chase pack followed in 7:16.

European half marathon champion Crippa caught Kniya shortly after the fourth kilometre. At the bell – with the second lap having been covered in 7:03 – Crippa headed a group of eight men which included Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Berihu Aregawi. The 23-year-old Ethiopian took command for the first time about 18 minutes into the race but his lead proved to be short-lived as Kwizera and Ndikumwenayo moved to the front and began to push hard.

Crippa lost ground with about 700m left. Then, over the closing 500m, Ndikumwenayo’s fierce attack paid off as he managed to build a slight advantage on Kwizera while Aregawi struggled and just couldn’t follow their pace.

With the final lap covered in 6:36, Ndikumwenayo crossed the finish line ahead of his training mate Kwizera, though both were given the same time (21:24). Aregawi took third spot in 21:27 with Crippa another five seconds in arrears.

“I didn’t expect to win as my only target today was to help my club (Playas de Castellón) to win the national team title but I felt strong throughout and decided to go for the victory over the last lap,” said Ndikumwenayo, the winner here two years ago. “I’m now going to return to the altitude of Sierra Nevada where I’m building up for the European Cross Country Championships which will be next competition.”

Leading results

Women

1 Beatrice Chebet (KEN) 23:32

2 Daisy Jepkemei (KZK) 23:59

3 Charity Cherop (UGA) 24:35

4 Diana Chepkemoi (KEN) 24:38

5 Mercy Chepkemoi (KEN) 24:46

6 Marta García (ESP) 24:50

Men

1 Thierry Ndikumwenayo (ESP) 21:24

2 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 21:24

3 Berihu Aregawi (ETH) 21:27

4 Yemaneberhan Crippa (ITA) 21:32

5 Kenneth Kiprop (UGA) 21:41

6 Adel Mechaal (ESP) 21:42

The Cross Internacional de Itálica in Santiponce on the outskirts of the Spanish city of Seville – the fifth Gold standard meeting in the current World Athletics Cross Country Tour – always boasts a quality line-up, and this year’s race on Sunday (17) features the most prominent line-up so far this season.

Entries for the women’s race, contested over 7.5km, are headed by Kenya’s two-time world cross-country champion and double Olympic gold medalist Beatrice Chebet. The 24-year-old has enjoyed a superb season, topped by her 5000m and 10,000m titles at the Paris Olympics, three months after becoming the first woman to dip under the 29-minute barrier for the latter distance thanks to a 28:54.14 clocking in Eugene on 25 May.

Chebet, who is also the reigning world champion and world record holder for the road 5km, will be making her third appearance here following her runner-up spot in 2020 and her third place in 2021. It will be her first race since her 14:09.82 5000m victory at the Diamond League Final in Brussels.

She will start as the overwhelming favourite for the victory, though she’ll face quality opposition in the form of compatriot Mercy Chepkemoi and Kazakhstan’s Daisy Jepkemei. The latter finished seventh at this year’s World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, and more recently she captured a commanding win in Atapuerca last month.

Chepkemoi is fresh from a fine win in Cardiff last Saturday. She placed fourth over 5000m at the World U20 Championships in Lima in August, finishing just behind bronze medalist Charity Cherop of Uganda, who will also be racing in Santiponce this weekend.

The line-up also comprises Diana and Sharon Chepkemoi, who finished third and seventh respectively in the steeplechase in Lima. Both also competed in Soria last Sunday where they finished third (Diana) and fourth (Sharon).

Meanwhile, France’s Alice Finot, who set a European record of 8:58.67 when finishing fourth in the steeplechase at the Paris Olympics, will be contesting just her second cross-country race in the past seven years.

Portugal’s Mariana Machado recently finished sixth in Atapuerca, sandwiched between Spanish cross-country champion Carolina Robles and Olympic 1500m finalist Agueda Marques who finished fourth and seventh respectively there, closely followed by Maria Forero, the 2022 European U20 cross-country champion. All of them will renew their rivalry this weekend.

European 5000m bronze medalist Marta García, meanwhile, will be making her only cross-country outing of the winter before focusing on the indoor season.

The men’s race has been reduced to 7.5km which plays into the hands of the middle-distance specialists. But that shouldn’t be a problem for Olympic 10,000m silver medalist Berihu Aregawi, as the Ethiopian is also the third-fastest man in history over 3000m.

The 23-year-old opened the year in style by retaining his silver medal at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade before setting a 10,000m PB of 26:31.13 in Nerja. Following his Olympic silver in Paris, he clocked an Ethiopian record of 7:21.28 for 3000m and won the 5000m at the Diamond League Final in Brussels.

Sunday’s race will be Aregawi’s first cross-country outing this season, but fellow Etiopians Ayele Tadesse and Wegene Addisu have already made a mark on the tour, finishing second and fourth respectively in Soria last weekend.

Yet Aregawi’s fiercest opposition should come from Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera and Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo. Kwizera is still unbeaten this cross-country season, having won in Amorebieta, Atapuerca and Soria. He has successively finished first, second and third on his appearances in Seville over the past three years.

Meanwhile, his training partner Ndikumwenayo – winner in Seville in 2022 – is the European 10,000m bronze medallist and lowered his 10,000m PB to 26:49.49 for ninth place at the Paris Olympics. Ndikumwenayo will travel to Seville from his altitude stint in Sierra Nevada where he’s building up for the European Cross Country Championchips in Antalya on 8 December.

Watch out too for Uruguay’s Santiago Catrofe. He boasts PBs of 7:37:15 for 3000m and 13:05.95 for 5000m and was a surprise winner in San Sebastian two weeks ago when he kicked away from Uganda’s Martin Kiprotich, who’ll also be in contention on Sunday.

Kiprotich will be joined by his compatriots Kenneth Kiprop, Dan Kibet and Hosea Kiplangat. The former is the world U20 5000m bronze medallist and triumphed in Cardiff where Kibet had to settle for third.

The Spanish charge will be led by European indoor 3000m silver medallist Adel Mechaal, US-based Aarón Las Heras, national 10km record-holder Abdessadam Oukhelfen, and the always consistent Nassim Hassaous.

Past winners in Seville include Fernando Mamede (1984 and 1985), Paul Tergat (1998 and 1999), Paula Radcliffe (2001), Kenenisa Bekele (2003, 2004 and 2007), Faith Kipyegon (2016), Joshua Cheptegei (2018) and Jacob Kiplimo (2019).

Temperatures between 22-24C are predicted for the time of the elite races on Sunday.

Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera and Kazakhstan’s Daisy Jepkemei were the winners at the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca – the second Gold standard meeting in this season's World Athletics Cross Country Tour – on Sunday (27).

With the races held in light rain, Kwizera lived up to expectations to claim his first win here in the men’s race while Jepkemei outsprinted Kenya’s Grace Nawowuna to secure the women’s title.

Right from the start of the women's 8km contest, Jepkemei, a 9:06.66 steeplechaser, took command with only Nawowuna and Burundi’s France Niyomukunzi for company. The latter surprisingly lost ground some seven minutes into the race as Jepkemei averaged a brisk 3:06/km pace. Further back, Spanish duo Carolina Robles and María Forero ran together.

After three kilometres, lead duo Jepkemei and Nawowuna had built a 10-second advantage on the Burundian, herself another 14 seconds clear of the Spanish duo. Portugal’s Mariana Machado, Germany’s Elena Burkard and Spain’s Idaira Prieto were a further eight seconds behind.

Just before the midway point, 2021 Olympic steeplechase finalist Robles broke away from 2022 European U20 cross-country champion Forero, while the lead duo’s advantage over Niyomukunzi had increased to 25 seconds.

There were few changes on the penultimate 2km circuit. During the final lap Nawowuna attempted to move into the lead but it was short-lived. Then, with about 200 metres remaining, Jepkemei finally broke away from the Kenyan to win in 25:00, finishing two seconds ahead of Naowuna.

Niyomukunzi took third place, more than a minute behind the victor, while Robles finished fourth. There was a photo-finish for fifth place between Burkard and Machado with the German getting the verdict.

Spanish steeplechaser Daniel Arce, boosted by the local crowd, was the early leader from Adel Mechaal in the men’s 9km event. Pre-race favourites Kwizera, 2022 world 5000m bronze medallist Oscar Chelimo and fellow Ugandan Martin Kiprotich initially sat behind the Spanish duo but soon caught up and passed them.

Kiprotich’s third kilometre split of 2:49 proved too much for Mechaal. Chelimo moved into the lead just before the half-way point to help ease the pressure on his compatriot, while a quiet Kwizera remained in third place, looking ominously comfortable.

When the lead pack reached the bell, Kwizera moved to the front for the first time and increased the pace which could only be followed by Chelimo and Kenya’s Mathew Kipsang with Kiprotich losing any chance of a podium place. With just over a kilometre remaining, Chelimo tried to launch an attack but Kwizera soon covered the gap and then unleashed a powerful change of speed to break away from the Ugandan.

Running down the final home straight, 25-year-old Kwizera couldn’t hide his joy as he was about to achieve his first win in Atapuerca, finishing in 25:37, two seconds ahead of Chelimo with Kipsang completing the podium another seven seconds adrift.

“The race wasn’t easy because of the rain and some muddy sections difficult to negotiate,” said Kwizera. “As usual, I preferred to stay in the middle of the group for much of the race before launching my attack far away from home as there always are very fast finishers.”

Leading results

Women (8km)

1 Daisy Jepkemei (KZK) 25:00

2 Grace Nawowuna (KEN) 25:02

3 Francine Niyomukunzi (BDI) 26:18

4 Carolina Robles (ESP) 26:40

5 Elena Burkard (GER) 26:48

6 Mariana Machado (POR) 26:48

7 Águeda Marqués (ESP) 26:50

8 María Forero (ESP) 26:54

Men (9km)

1 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 25:37

2 Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 25:39

3 Mathew Kipsang (KEN) 25:46

4 Egide Ntakarutimana (BDI) 25:48

5 Martin Kiprotich (UGA) 25:50

6 Adel Mechaal (ESP) 26:11

7 Ayele Tadesse (ETH) 26:11

8 Efrem Gidey (IRL) 26:18

Zerfe Wondemagegn, 21, will miss the next two Olympic Games due to a positive EPO test.

Zerfe Wondemagegn, an Ethiopian runner who reached the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final at the Tokyo Olympics and narrowly missed the world championship podium last year in Budapest, has been banned for five years by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for two banned substances.

The 21-year-old was provisionally suspended by the AIU last November after traces of testosterone and erythropoietin (EPO) were found in an out-of-competition sample. According to the AIU, it received emailed testimony from an Ethiopian doctor stating that Wondemagegn had been given EPO as medicine to treat severe anemia and a kidney infection, but it “remained satisfied” she had broken anti-doping rules. The organization added that it had received a signed admission from the athlete last week.

Wondemagegn finished eighth at the Tokyo Olympics and fourth at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Two of the three samples in her case were taken while she was in Hungary (at worlds), and her result will be disqualified. Her fourth-place finish in Budapest earned her USD $16,000 in prize money.

Her suspension will leave her out of the 2024 Paris Olympics and run through October 2028, meaning she will also miss the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Wondemagegn’s case is the latest in a series of doping cases in the women’s steeplechase event. The 2022 world champion, Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan (previously of Kenya), is facing a doping hearing in June, five weeks before the Paris Olympics. World Athletics is appealing against an earlier decision to clear the runner. Jeruto has argued that ulcers and COVID-19 explain her irregular blood test results.

Jeruto had been provisionally suspended for the use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (ABP).

The Athletics Integrity Unit has announced the lifting of the ban on Kenyan-born Kazakhstani Norah Jeruto.

Jeruto, the former World 3000m Steeplechase champion had been provisionally suspended for breaking anti-doping rules. She was suspended for the use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (ABP). ABP refers to the Athlete's Biological Passport, which shows discrepancies that can reveal the effects of doping.

In a post on their X (Twitter) handle, the AIU clarified the matter, noting that the provisional suspension has been lifted.

“A panel of the Disciplinary Tribunal has found, by majority decision, that the case against Norah Jeruto (Kazakhstan), for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (ABP), was not proven. Her provisional suspension has been lifted with immediate effect,” the post read.

Meanwhile, the 28-year-old won the world title last year in Eugene in a championship record of 8:53.02, the third fastest time in history. 

Jeruto won the African Championships in the steeplechase in 2016 and the Diamond League title in 2021, both while representing Kenya but then she missed the Tokyo Olympics due to switching nations. 

She also won the world under-18 title at 2000m steeplechase in 2011. In Eugene, the runner-up was Werkuha Getachew of Ethiopia with her team-mate Mekides Abebe third and Winfred Mutile Yavi of Bahrain was fourth. Britain’s Aimee Pratt was seventh in the race with a UK record of 9:15.64.

On April 7, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) provisionally suspended the 2022 world 3,000m steeplechase champion Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan. Jeruto has been suspended for the use of an unidentified prohibited substance, according to the athlete’s biological passport (ABP) data.

Last July, Jeruto became the first Kazakhstan athlete to win gold at the World Athletics Championships, setting a new championship and national record of 8:53.02 in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase. She also won the 2021 Diamond League title in the same event.

Jeruto is suspended temporarily from participating in any competition prior to a final decision at a hearing conducted under the World Athletics anti-doping rules, or the Integrity Code of Conduct. If Jeruto’s provision suspension stands, she will be stripped of her world championship gold medal.

The purpose of analyzing an athlete’s ABP data is to monitor select biological parameters over time that may indirectly reveal the effects of doping. This approach allows the AIU to generate individual, longitudinal profiles for each athlete and to look for any fluctuations that may indicate that the athlete has been using performance-enhancing drugs.

The profile for each athlete is generated based on statistics that utilize data from previous (given) samples to predict the individual’s performance limits or range for future samples. According to the AIU, if any data from a test sample falls outside of the athlete’s range, it could be an indication of doping.

ABP data is usually used as evidence of doping during an anti-doping rule violation case.

Jeruto’s time of 8:53.02 is the third fastest women’s 3,000m steeplechase in history behind her former compatriot, world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech’s 8:44.32 from Monaco Diamond League in 2018.

The 27-year-old was born in Kenya, but switched allegiances to Kazakhstan before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in hopes of selection. She received citizenship in January 2022.

There are many things to look forward to in the sport of athletics in the upcoming year.

There’ll be three global championships in 2023, with ever-expanding one-day meeting circuits spread throughout the year. Rivalries will be renewed, and record-breakers will continue to push boundaries in their respective disciplines.

Here are just ten of the many reasons to be excited by what’s to come over the next 12 months.

1. World Athletics Championships Budapest 23

More than 2000 athletes from about 200 countries will head to the Hungarian capital to compete in the world’s biggest track and field event of 2023. Taking place just 13 months after the last edition, it will be the shortest ever gap between two World Championships, so fans won’t have long to wait before seeing the best athletes on the planet re-engage in battle for global honours.

2. Pushing boundaries

World Athletes of the Year Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone have elevated their respective events to new heights in recent years.

Both aged just 23, their progression and record-breaking exploits will most likely continue in 2023. The same applies to other dominant forces within the sport, such as world and Olympic triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas and marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge.

3. New eras

The sport, as with everything in life, continues to evolve. Kenya, for example, dominated the steeplechase for years, but now the leading forces in that discipline are from Morocco, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan.

The women’s throws, meanwhile, are now the domain of North America. And Japan is a leading force in men’s race walking.

New faces and countries will likely emerge in 2023, changing the landscape of the sport.

4. Sprint showdowns

Gone are the days where the world’s leading sprinters avoid each other on the circuit. Multiple world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, for example, will often line up against fellow Jamaican stars Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson. And 200m specialists Noah Lyles and Erriyon Knighton have clashed frequently in recent years. No doubt there will be many more high-octane sprint duels in store in 2023.

5. World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23

The newest global event within the sport, the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23 will unite elite and recreational runners in the Latvian capital on September 30 and October 1. The range of distances — mile, 5km and half marathon — means there’s something for all of the world’s best endurance athletes to sink their teeth into. The same applies to the thousands of runners who’ll take to the streets of Riga for the mass races as they race in the footsteps of legends.

6. Crouser vs Kovacs

They provided one of the greatest duels the sport has ever witnessed at the 2019 World Championships, and there’s no sign of the rivalry ending between Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs. The shot put giants have won numerous global titles between them. Crouser has been a dominant force in recent years, but Kovacs also hit an all-time career peak in 2022 with a lifetime best of 23.23m, taking him to No.2 on the world all-time list behind Crouser. No one would be surprised if either man broke the world record in 2023.

7. At the double

When the timetable for the 2023 World Championships was release a few months ago, it became clear that many popular doubles — such as the 100m and 200m, 800m and 1500m, 1500m and 5000m, 5000m and 10,000m, 20km and 35km race walk, women’s long jump & triple jump, and women’s 200m and 400m – would be doable in Budapest. The likes of Yulimar Rojas, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Fred Kerley and Sydney McLaughlin have all hinted at attempting major championship doubles in recent years, so it will be fascinating to see who enters more than one discipline in the Hungarian capital.

8. Continental Tour Gold expands

The global one-day meeting circuit will have 14 Gold level meetings in 2023, taking in new stops in Botswana, Grenada and Melbourne.

It means there are now Gold meetings in five different continental areas. The wider series has also expanded with 165 Continental Tour meetings currently on the calendar for 2023, 13 more than in 2022.

9. Distance duels

Endurance athletes are extra fortunate in 2023 because they will be able to compete at all three global championships, covering a range of surfaces. Letesenbet Gidey and Hellen Obiri provided one of the most thrilling clashes at the World Championships in Oregon, and there’s a good chance they’ll race one another again, either in Bathurst, Budapest or Riga.

World 5000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, meanwhile, could potentially line up against two-time world 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei in Budapest — or even on the circuit throughout the season.

There are four women active in the marathon — Brigid Kosgei, Ruth Chepngetich, Amane Beriso and Tigist Assefa — with sub-2:16 PBs, all of whom could push one another to a world record. And in the race walks, the likes of Toshikazu Yamanishi and Massimo Stano could clash at either 20km or 35km — or both.

10. World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 23

One of the first big highlights of the year will take place Down Under when Bathurst hosts the World Cross Country Championships.

Recent editions have been highly competitive and engaging, and that will no doubt be the case once more as hundreds of the world’s best distance athletes take to Mount Panorama. And, as is the case with Riga and Budapest, there are opportunities for recreational runners to be a part of the event too.

It was a 5000m race that came down to the final 100m, Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay using her 1500m speed to prevail in a thrilling sprint finish and gain her first global outdoor gold on the penultimate day of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.

The world indoor 1500m record-holder, who claimed the indoor title in that discipline in Belgrade in March, returned to the track five days after claiming 1500m silver behind Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon at Hayward Field and she had the 5000m title as her target. After a tactical test, she achieved her aim, clocking 14:46.29 as little more than a second separated the top three. Kenya’s 2018 world U20 winner Beatrice Chebet was right behind her, securing silver in 14:46.75, while Ethiopia’s Dawit Seyaum got bronze in 14:47.36.

Three years after placing runner-up to her compatriot Hellen Obiri – the two-time world 5000m champion who focused on the 10,000m in Oregon – Margaret Kipkemboi finished fourth in 14:47.71 and Ethiopia’s recently-crowned 10,000m champion, Letesenbet Gidey, was fifth in 14:47.98, one place ahead of Netherlands’ double Olympic champion Sifan Hassan in 14:48.12.

“The hard times were at the Olympics in Tokyo, because I was injured there” said Tsegay, who still managed to race for 1500m bronze at last year’s Games. “Not today.”

With a final 1500m of 4:14.59 and a last lap of 59.95, the 25-year-old pulled away from Chebet and Seyaum down the home straight, executing her plan.

“I have been training well for 1500m and this helps sprint on the home stretch,” added Tsegay, who claimed her 2014 world U20 1500m silver in Eugene. “I know that Sifan is a top athlete and she is also a 1500m runner, so she has the speed. When she came in front, I sped up even more and won the medal.”

It was that attack from Hassan at the bell that launched Tsegay into action. Always near the front, Tsegay led through the first 1000m in 3:14.21 ahead of Kazakhstan’s Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui, Seyaum and Gidey. Gidey and Tsegay continued to take turns at the front and Tsegay was to the fore as 3000m was reached in 9:02.79. The world 10,000m champion was a stride ahead with four laps to go as she and Tsegay continued to control the race, with Chebet right behind them.

Glancing over her shoulder with three laps remaining, Tsegay led the 10-strong group and Gidey moved ahead along the back straight. One lap later, Tsegay kicked ahead, but not by enough to shake off her rivals. With her eyes on the big screen, she could see Hassan move from seventh to fifth, and by the time they reached the bell the Olympic champion was on her shoulder.

The race was down to a six-strong battle for the medals. With Tsegay in front, Hassan moved ahead of Gidey as they ran down the back straight for the final time, taking the inside line to challenge Tsegay on the bend. Chebet was running wide, but holding her place. As they left the curve, Hassan no longer seemed the biggest threat, with Chebet providing the challenge. But no one could match Tsegay’s finishing speed and she strode ahead down the home straight, on her way to victory. Chebet held on for silver, as Seyaum came through for bronze.

“It was a matter of tactics,” said Chebet, whose CV includes the 2019 world U20 cross country title as well as her 2018 world U20 track win. “I was well positioned.

“Although I am young, I've run many races with elite athletes at the Diamond League. They are not new to me. This medal will make a good difference for me.”

For Seyaum, the bronze medal was welcome after years of injuries. “I hoped to get a place on the podium,” she said. “I hoped and expected to become a medallist in this event. For five years, I was having injuries, so this result is very special for me.”

And Hassan, who finished fourth in the 10,000m seven days earlier, explained how she was happy to be back on the international stage. “I started to train like two months ago and today, I did my best and I gave everything,” she said. “For me, it is important if I give everything and race smart, it does not matter what the position is.

“I think I really overworked last year, so I wanted to have a break mentally, because athletics is not only about running but also about motivation. I took an almost seven-month break. I am happy to be back, and I will try for more golds next year.”

 

Kenyan-born Kazakhstan Norah Jeruto staged a brilliant performance  to win the women's 3,000 meters steeplechase final in the World Championships in Oregon, United States early Thursday morning.

Kenyan-born Bahrain star Wilfred Mutile Yavi appeared set to challenge Jeruto for the gold, but stumbled on the last water jump, allowing the Ethiopians to pass her.

Jeruto's victory means Kenya has lost another world title from 2019 Doha.

After leading for most part of the race, Yavi stormed to the lead after the bell but Jeruto would reclaim the lead immediately, tackling the last water barrier majestically to win in eight minutes and 53.02 seconds.

Jeruto, who failed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games last year as she was still chasing transfer of her allegiance, obliterated Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech’s CR from the previous 2019 Doha event by five seconds.

Yavi’s last water jump proved awful to cost her a medal as Ethiopians Getachew and Abebe zoomed past her to settle for silver and bronze.

Getachew came second in a National Record of 8:54.61 as Abebe cracked a personal best of 8:56.08.

Yavi, who was the fastest in the field, came fourth in 9:01.31 as Kenya’s Celliphine Chespol settled a distant 13th in 9:27.34.

It was the fourth title Kenya was losing from its tally in 2019 Doha after the women's marathon, men's 1,500m and men's 3,000m steeplechase.

The only title Kenya managed to defend her title is women's 1,500m by Faith Chepng'etich.

 

Two-time Olympic 1,500 meters champion Faith Chepng’etich will on Monday compete in the 800m race at the FBK Games in Hengelo, the Netherlands.

She will battle it out with the world champion over the distance, Ugandan Halima Nakayi.

Chepng’etich said that she will be using the race to improve her speed in preparation for the World Athletics Championships that will be held in Eugene, Oregon, United States of America on July 15-24.

The world 1,500m silver medalist finished second behind Burundi’s Francine Niyonsoba in the 3,000m race at the Doha Diamond League on May 13.

And at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League held on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon, Chepng’etich ran a world-lead time of three minutes, 52.59 seconds (3:52.59) to win the 1,500m race.

“Competing in the 800m race is part of my training. I will be testing my speed as I prepare for the world championships in July. Speed is critical for a podium finish,” she told Nation Sport.

Chepng’etich will be looking to reclaim the world 1,500m title that she won during the 2017 edition held in London, but which she surrendered to Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands in Doha in 2019.

During the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games that were held last year, Chepng’etich defended her 1,500m title that she had previously won at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

In the 3,000m steeplechase, another top Kenyan athlete, Celliphine Chespol, will be seeking to qualify for the world championships.

The 2018 World Athletics Under-20 Championships winner in Tampere, Finland will be competing against Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai from Uganda, who will be participating in her fifth event this year.

During last week’s Prefontaine Classic, Eugene Diamond League, Chespol finished fifth in her specialty.

Kenyan-born Kazakhstani athlete Norah Jeruto won the race and another Kenyan-born Bahraini runner Winfred Yavi was second.

Chespol said that her season has started slowly, but she is getting back into shape. She said that the races she has participated in have helped her improve her performance.

USA’s Michael Norman produced the standout performance at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Eugene on Saturday (28), the 24-year-old setting a Diamond League 400m record of 43.60 to beat Grenada's Kirani James (44.02) and Matthew Hudson-Smith, who broke the British record with 44.35. 

On a cool, blustery afternoon at Hayward Field, with many outbreaks of heavy rain, Norman was one of many athletes who defied the conditions to make it another memorable edition of the Prefontaine Classic.

“I had zero expectation of what I could run today,” said Norman, who revealed he and coach Quincy Watts had gone “back to the basics” during their winter training. “Hard work and consistency with diet and training,” he said. “My motto this year has been that if it’s comfortable, it’s too easy – on the weight room or the track. Based on how I felt, there are a few areas I can improve on.”

Looking to next month’s US Championships and the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 on the same track in July, Norman said: “I’m going to train like I want to do something special, and when the time comes, the time comes.”

Kenya's Faith Kipyegon was equally peerless when taking the women’s 1500m in commanding fashion, the Olympic champion tracking chief rival Gudaf Tsegay until the final turn, at which point she blew by and came home a clear winner in a world lead and meeting record of 3:52.59. Tsegay got second in 3:54.21 with Canada’s Gabriela Debues-Stafford third in 3:58.62. “The race today gave me great morale that everything I’m doing is correct towards the World Championships – that’s my biggest fish and I hope for the best, for the gold medal,” said Kipyegon, who is “going to think about” a world record attempt at 1500m later in the summer. “I was not expecting (to run 3:52) when I saw the rain this morning, but I felt comfortable. It was good.”

USA's Ryan Crouser produced by far the standout performance in the field events, the Olympic shot put champion looking utterly peerless when launching a world-leading 23.02m effort in the second round. That left him well clear of long-time rivals Joe Kovacs (22.49m) and Tom Walsh (21.96m).

What made it more impressive is that Crouser did not use his full technique, but threw off a “static” starting position, which prior to today had never produced a 23-metre effort. Crouser said he usually throws 40-60cm farther when utilising his full technique. 

“I thought 23 was possible but I thought I’d have to get into my full (technique) to do it,” said Crouser. “My best static ever was in the 22.90s. To throw a static PR, under a heavy load, without a taper, is a really good indicator of where I can be seven or eight weeks from now.” Berihu Aregawi turned in a superb solo performance to take the men’s 5000m in a meeting record and world lead of 12:50.05, coming home well clear of fellow Ethiopians Samuel Tefera (13:06.86) and Selemon Barega (13:07.30). Aregawi swept to the front in the third kilometre after the pacers stepped aside and the Ethiopian broke clear of the field, powering through to the final laps to a rapturous reception from the crowd, which historically loves displays of fearless distance running. 

In the men’s 400m hurdles, Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos achieved another dominant performance, clocking a world-leading 47.23 to come home a distant winner ahead of USA’s Khalifah Rosser and Quincy Hall, who both clocked personal bests of 48.10. 

“I’m happy with this, but I want more, I want to go faster,” said Dos Santos. “Me and (Rai) Benjamin never win against (Karsten) Warholm, and nobody wants to lose, but it’ll be hard for us to come up against him at the World Championships and win. He is the boss, the guy to beat, and for winning the final you need to run 45 (seconds) – everyone is so strong.”

Sprint queen Elaine Thompson-Herah once again asserted her supremacy with a comfortable win in the 100m, clocking 10.79 (0.7m/s) to beat Sha’Carri Richardson, who bounced back to form with a 10.92 clocking to edge Shericka Jackson, who was third in 10.92. Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith was fourth with 10.98. 

“I’m happy to cross the line healthy and with the win,” said Thompson-Herah, who explained prior to the event that she’d been managing a niggle in training. “It got me ready for my championship in Jamaica next month.”USA’s Trayvon Bromell laid down a big marker ahead of next month’s US Championships by defeating his chief rivals in the 100m, pulling clear to take a comfortable win in 9.93 (-0.2m/s). Fred Kerley was next best with 9.98, while Christian Coleman faded from first at halfway to third at the finish, clocking 10.04 just ahead of Noah Lyles (10.05). 

"I really just wanted to come out with the win as I knew the wind was iffy today," said Bromell. "There were some technical things I wanted to do better with but I just have to go back to the drawing board and try to fix it."

Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn came from behind to score an impressive win in the 100m hurdles, a non-Diamond League event, the Puerto Rican clocking 12.45 into a slight headwind (-0.7m/s) with Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan second in 12.58 and USA’s Tonea Marshall third in 12.66. 

“It was a little sloppy,” said Camacho-Quinn. “I hit my trail leg a couple of times and that slowed me up, but I’ll take it. I went 12.4 in these conditions.”

Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was a clear winner of the women’s 200m in 22.41 (0.8m/s), with USA’s Brittany Brown second in 22.74 and Anthonique Strachan of Bahamas third in 22.76. 

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen re-asserted his supremacy in the Bowerman Mile, the Olympic champion breaking clear with a lap to run and coming home a comfortable winner in a world lead of 3:49.76, with Australia’s Ollie Hoare second in a PB of 3:50.65 and world champion Timothy Cheruiyot third in 3:50.77. 

“It was a great race – I’m where I’m supposed to be,” said Ingebrigtsen, who will “for sure” double over 1500m and 5000m at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. Looking towards the European Championships in Munich, he said he’d “love to do 800m, 1500m, steeplechase, 5km, 10km and marathon, but I don’t think that’s possible with the schedule.”

He will next race over 800m before competing at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Oslo on 16 June.  Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson utilised her typical sit-and-kick tactics to great effect to take the women’s 800m, the Olympic silver medallist powering clear of race leader Natoya Goule entering the home straight and holding off the late surge of world indoor champion Ajee Wilson to win in a world lead of 1:57.72, with Wilson second in 1:58.06 and Raevyn Rogers third in 1:58.44. 

Olympic champion Athing Mu was a late withdrawal after contracting Covid-19, but Hodgkinson is looking forward to renewing their rivalry in July. 

“It would have been good if she was here, but she’s going to be there at the World Champs and I’m sure we’ll have a good duel then –  I look forward to racing her,” said Hodgkinson. “I felt really good, it was a bit windy out there but there was good competition, it was a good run. I can’t complain.”

Sweden’s Khaddi Sagnia unleashed a PB of 6.95m (1.0m/s) to take victory in the women’s long jump, with Nigeria’s Ese Brume second with 6.82m and USA’s Tara Davis third with 6.73m. 

Norah Jeruto, the Kenyan-born athlete who now represents Kazakhstan, produced an impressive display to win the women’s 3000m steeplechase in 8:57.97, a world lead. Bahrain’s Winfred Mutile Yavi was close behind in second, clocking a PB of 8:58.71, while Ethiopia’s Mekides Abebe was third in 9:03.26. In the men’s 1500m, a non-Diamond League event, New Zealand’s Samuel Tanner took victory in a PB of 3:34.37 in front of Britain’s Neil Gourley, who clocked a PB of 3:34.85.

Italy’s Martina Caironi set a world record of 14.02 in the T63 women’s 100m, while in the men’s T62 400m, Germany’s Johannes Floors took the win in 48.13.  

Olympic silver medalist Abdi Nageeye produced a well-timed finish to win the Rotterdam Marathon, his first career victory over the classic distance, while Ethiopia’s Haven Hailu won the women’s contest in convincing fashion at the World Athletics Elite Label road race on Sunday (10).

The two races played out in contrasting ways. A large lead pack formed early on in the men’s race as they passed through 10km in 29:29 and half way in 1:02:16. The pack started to whittle itself down in the second half though, and by 30km – reached in 1:28:31 – just seven men remained in the group: Nageeye, Olympic bronze medalist Bashir Abdi, Ethiopia’s Leul Gebreselassie, Kenya’s Dominic Kiptarus, Reuben Kiprop Kipyego, Kenneth Kipkemoi and Philemon Kacheran.

Kipyego and Gebreselassie continued to push the pace in the closing stages and it was enough to drop most of the athletes left in the lead pack. Abdi, who set a European record of 2:03:36 when winning at last year’s rescheduled Rotterdam Marathon in October, started to drift behind just before 40km, leaving Nageeye, Kipyego and Gebreselassie to battle it out for the podium places.

Kipyego couldn’t quite match the finishing pace of Gebreselassie and Nageeye as the duo sprinted for the line. In the end Nageeye just edged ahead to cross the line in 2:04:56, taking more than a minute off the Dutch record he set in this same city in 2019. Gebreselassie was given the same time in second place, the fifth sub-2:05 clocking of his career, while Kipyego took third in 2:05:12, 11 seconds ahead of Abdi.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Haven Hailu and Kenyan duo Daisy Cherotich and Stella Barsosio made an early break, reaching 10km in 32:55 – bang on pace to challenge the course record of 2:18:58 set 10 years ago by 2012 Olympic champion Tiki Gelana.

They were unable to maintain that pace for too much longer, but still reached the half-way point in a swift 1:09:56, just inside 2:20 pace. Almost two minutes behind them, relative newcomer Nienke Brinkman of the Netherlands was running in no-woman’s land.

A few kilometres later, Hailu broke away from Cherotich and Barsosio. Cherotich held on for a little longer than her compatriot, but by 35km – which Hailu reached in 1:57:34 – Brinkman had moved up to second place.

Brinkman continued to make up ground in the closing stages, but Hailu’s lead was safe and the 24-year-old crossed the finish line in 2:22:01. It was the second-fastest time of her career, after the 2:20:19 PB she set in Amsterdam last year, but her first marathon victory to date.

Brinkman, who only took up running in 2020, was rewarded with a huge PB of 2:22:51 in second place, breaking the Dutch record set in 2003 by Lornah Kiplagat. Kazakhstan’s Zhanna Mamazhanova finished well to take third place in 2:26:54, taking more than a minute off the national record that was set back in 1987.

Leading results

Women

1 Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:22:01

2 Nienke Brinkman (NED) 2:22:51

3 Zhanna Mamazhanova (KAZ) 2:26:54

4 Munkhzaya Bayartsogt (MGL) 2:29:25

5 Tristin Van Ord (USA) 2:29:32

6 Carolina Wikstrom (SWE) 2:29:51

7 Alisa Vainio (FIN) 2:29:56

8 Daisy Cherotich (KEN) 2:30:42

Men

1 Abdi Nageeye (NED) 2:04:56

2 Leul Gebreselassie (ETH) 2:04:56

3 Reuben Kiprop Kipyego (KEN) 2:05:12

4 Bashir Abdi (BEL) 2:05:23

5 Kenneth Kipkemoi (KEN) 2:06:22

6 Rodgers Ondati Gesabwa (KEN) 2:09:40

7 Abida Ezamzami (MAR) 2:09:52

8 Philemon Kacheran (KEN) 2:10:12.

Kenya's Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi and Ethiopia’s Haftu Teklu will be among the leading athletes at the eDreams Mitja Marató de Barcelona, a World Athletics Elite Label event, on Sunday (3). While world 5000m silver Kipkemboi tackles the distance for the first time, Teklu will be aiming to retain his title.

In the absence of multiple world record-holder Genzebe Dibaba, who withdrew from the entry list a few weeks ago due to injury, her fellow Ethiopian Asnakesh Awoke, third last year in 1:07:47, emerges as one of the favorites. The 26-year-old was runner-up the previous year in a PB of 1:07:04 and should be eager to improve on her previous appearances and take top spot.

Spain's Alejandro Rodriguez, a former 1:45:97 800m specialist, will be in charge of the pacing duties, aiming to cover the opening 10km at 3:06/3:08 pace in the hunt for a sub-1:06:00 final time. The course record stands at 1:05:09, which was then a world record, set by Kenya's Florence Kiplagat in 2015.

The defending champion Teklu should be regarded as the main favorite in the men’s race. The 26-year-old won in style last October, setting a course record of 59:39 on his debut over the distance. Teklu has competed twice in 2022 over shorter distances indoors, setting PBs of 3:39:47 for 1500m in Sabadell and 7:52:10 for 3000m in Torun last month.

Back to his specialist event, the Ethiopian athlete will be aiming for an improvement on his performance last year to grab back-to-back titles.

“Last year, the organizers gave me the chance to make my debut here and I managed to win,” he said. “I'm now a more experienced athlete, I already know the circuit and I'll be targeting a quicker performance on Sunday.”

Teklu heads a powerful Ethiopian squad which includes another two athletes who have dipped under the 60-minute barrier – Abe Gashahun (59:46) and Antenatyehu Dagnachew (59:48) – alongside last year's third-place finisher Regasa Chala (1:00:38) and debutants Gebru Redahgne and Teresa Nyakora.

Kenya's Titus Mbishei, fresh from a 1:01:53 clocking in Ras Al Khaimah in February, joins them, as do Eritrea's Berhane Tesfay (1:00:54) and Uganda's Ali Chebres.

Burundi's Thierry Ndikumwenayo, recent victor in Serradilla at the closing event of this season's World Athletics Cross Country Tour, will be the opening pacemaker, while Kazakhstan's Shadrack Koech, a 1:00:12 athlete, should lead the front group to 15km at a brisk rhythm.

Overall, more than 13,000 runners will take place in the event. Weather forecasters predict an ideal morning for running with a very slight wind, sun and a 10°C temperature by the time of the event.

However, Kenya's Kipkemboi, a 29:50 10km specialist, should not be discounted for the win. The 29-year-old has shown great form this winter with podium places at the Atapuerca and Italica cross country races on Spanish soil and more recently came second at the national championships in Eldoret. Ethiopia's Gete Alemayehu, holder of a 1:08:23 personal best, might well complete the podium.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) will discuss its participation in the upcoming Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in February among other international competitions next year.

Due to a surging wave of Omicron COVID-19 cases, the AFI has admitted competing in international events might be challenging.

It has since said it will discuss its plans for the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, due to be the 10th edition of the event in Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan from February 11 to 13.

"We will have a meeting with the coaches in January and take a call on whether to send athletes to compete at the 2022 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Kazakhstan in February," said AFI President Adille Sumariwalla.

The Championships will act as a qualifier for the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade in Serbia in March.

Other key events on the horizon are the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in the summer, the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou in China and the World Athletics Championships in Eugene in the United States from July 15 to 24.

Sumariwalla also admitted other events could prove problematic, including the Asian Race Walking Championships in Nomi in Japan in March.

"We have to wait and see how the pandemic situation is during the month of March in Japan," he said. 

"We can’t predict whether the national team will compete at this moment."

At present, Indian athletes are training across a range of camps throughout the country.

Tokyo 2020 javelin gold medalist Neeraj Chopra is training in the US and may subsequently find it easier to compete in international events.

It’s official – Boston is back with 20,000 of the world’s best marathoners taking to the start line on Monday, Oct. 11. This year’s field is locked and loaded, for the first-ever fall edition of the marathon.

This race will feature a massive elite field of 140 athletes, headlined by previous champions Lelisa Desisa, Des Linden and Edna Kiplagat plus top American runners Jordan Hasay, Molly Huddle and Abdi Abdirahman.

The women’s race

The women’s race only features two women who have run under 2:20, Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia (2:19:52) and 2017 champion Kiplagat (2:19:50). Kiplagat has raced twice this year at NYRR races, finishing sixth and third. This will be her first marathon since finishing second at Boston in 2019. Dibaba had a DNF in 2019 and was plagued with an injury at the start of the pandemic. This race will mark the return of the 2015 world champion to the marathon distance.

Another athlete to keep your eye on is Kenya’s Angela Tanui, who won the Siena Marathon in Italy earlier this year, running a nine-minute personal best of 2:20:08. Atsede Bayisa of Ethiopia, who is a part of the NN Running Team, is competing as well, after taking four years off competition. Bayisa has two road race victories to her name, which came during her training build-up to Monday’s race. Former 10-mile world record holder Caroline Chepkoech makes her marathon debut, with a half marathon personal best of 1:05:07. Chepkoech has recently changed citizenship from Kenya to Kazakhstan and will be representing her new country at this event. 

Outside of the international favorites, American track fans continue to wait for Hasay’s breakthrough. She has been third at two major marathons and has been agonizingly close to Deena Kastor’s American record, running the second-fastest time by an American (2:20:57 at Chicago 2017). Since then Hasay has changed coaches, from the controversial Alberto Salazar to former marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe, when the Nike Oregon Project disbanded due to Salazar’s investigation. Linden was the last American to win the Boston Marathon, in 2018, and will be running Boston for her seventh time. She enters the race with a PB of 2:22:38.

Toronto’s Brittany Moran is the only elite Canadian in the women’s field, coming in with a personal best of 2:36:22. Moran won Toronto’s Yorkville 5K in mid-September in a time of 16:40.  

The men’s race

The men’s race is loaded, having eight men who have run under 2:06. It is headlined by two-time Boston champion, Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa. Desisa is one of the best marathoners in the world in recent years, having won the event twice in 2013 and 2015, and finishing second in 2016 and 2019. Desisa will be challenged by his countrymen Asefa Mengstu (2:04:06) and Lemi Berhanu (2:04:33). Berhanu beat Desisa to get on the 2016 Ethiopian Olympic team, but has only finished one of his last five marathons, which was a second-place finish at Toronto’s Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon in 2019.

Kenya’s Benson Kipruto (2:05:13) and Wilson Chebet (2:05:27) are two experienced racers in the field who can wear down opponents over the Newton hills. Kipruto won the 2018 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. 2012 Olympian Dylan Wykes is the top-seeded Canadian in the field, with a personal best of 2:10:47. The last time Wykes competed in a marathon was at the Scotiabank Toronto Marathon in 2019, where he placed 30th. Rory Linkletter from Alberta will compete in his first Boston Marathon, and will look to follow in the footsteps of his U.S. Hoka NAZ Elite training partner Scott Fauble, to run under 2:10 at this race. Linkletter ran his marathon personal best of  2:12:54 at the Marathon Project in 2020. Thomas Toth (2:16:28) of Ontario is the other Canadian in the men’s elite field. 44-year-old American runner Abdirahman will be on the start line as the top U.S. athlete, only 64 days after he competed in the Tokyo Olympic marathon.

The 2021 Boston Marathon will mark the first time the race will take place on the same day as a Boston Red Sox playoff game. The Red Sox will play Game 4 of the ALDS series at Fenway Park on Monday evening. The weather is calling for 17 to 20 degrees C in the morning, with only a 20 per cent chance of precipitation. 

How to watch the 2021 Boston Marathon

Live coverage of the event will begin at 8 a.m. ET, with the men’s and women’s wheelchair races setting off at 8:02 and 8:04 a.m. ET. The elite female runners will begin at 8:32 a.m., followed by the men at 9:00 a.m. ET.

Live race coverage will be broadcasted on NBC Sports Network for cable subscribers from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET. If you are looking for an online stream of the race, it will be on RunnerSpace, where you can sign up to follow all the action.

For the first time, each nation can be represented by two flag bearers, with 38 women and 31 men leading their nations before going on to compete in athletics at the Games.

A number of these athletes could also make history for their country when athletics action begins on 30 July and here are some of the stars to watch out for. 

Hugues Fabrice Zango, triple jump - Burkina Faso

Zango became the first athlete from his nation to win a World Championships medal thanks to his third place in Doha and now he could become the first person from Burkina Faso to win an Olympic medal in any sport. The 27-year-old broke the world indoor triple jump record of 18.07m in Aubiere in January and has also leapt a PB of 17.82m outdoors this year.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 100m, 200m and 4x100m - Jamaica

Sprint star Fraser-Pryce will be looking to regain the 100m title after her wins in 2008 and 2012 and add further medals to a collection which also includes two 4x100m silvers, a 200m silver and a 200m bronze. The 10.63 she ran in Kingston in June puts her second on the world 100m all-time list.

Joseph Fahnbulleh, 200m - Liberia

No athlete from Liberia has ever finished in the top eight in their event at the Olympics, let alone won a medal, and sprinter Fahnbulleh will be looking to change that when he takes to the track for the 200m. The 19-year-old ran a PB of 19.91 to win the NCAA title in June.

Thea LaFond, triple jump - Dominica 

Dominica hasn’t yet won a medal in any Olympic sport but if she progresses beyond the qualifying round then triple jumper LaFond – who holds the national records of 14.54m indoors and 14.38m outdoors – will make further history for her nation, as no athlete from Dominica has ever competed in an Olympic final.

Alex Rose, discus - Samoa

Rose competed at the Rio Olympics in 2016, placing 29th in discus qualifying, but he’s keen to become the first Samoan athlete ever to reach an Olympic final. He improved his national record to 67.48m in May. 

Athletics flag bearers at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Afghanistan (AFG) - Kimia Yousofi (women’s 100m)

Albania (ALB) - Luiza Gega (women’s 3000m steeplechase)

Andorra (AND) - Pol Moya (men’s 800m)

Antigua and Barbuda (ANT) - Cejhae Greene(men’s 100m)

Bahamas (BAH) - Donald Thomas (men’s high jump)

Belize (BIZ) - Samantha Dirks (women’s 400m) and Shaun Gill (men’s 100m)

Belgium (BEL) - Nafissatou Thiam (heptathlon) 

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) - Amel Tuka (men’s 800m)

Botswana (BOT) - Amantle Montsho (women’s 400m)

Burkina Faso (BUR) - Hugues Fabrice Zango (men’s triple jump)

British Virgin Islands (IVB) - Kyron McMaster (men’s 400m hurdles)

Cambodia (CAM) - Sokong Pen (men’s 100m)

Cape Verde (CPV) - Jordin Andrade (men’s 400m hurdles)

Central African Republic (CAF) - Francky Mbotto (men’s 800m)

Colombia (COL) - Caterine Ibarguen (women’s triple jump)

Comoros (COM) - Amed Elna (women’s 100m) and Fadane Hamadi (men’s 110m hurdles)

Congo (CGO) - Natacha Ngoye Akamabi (women’s 100m)

Costa Rica (CRC) - Andrea Vargas (100m hurdles)

Croatia (CRO) - Sandra Perkovic (women’s discus)

Cuba (CUB) - Yaime Perez (women’s discus)

Cyprus (CYP) - Milan Trajkovic (110m hurdles)

Denmark (DEN) - Sara Peterson (women’s 400m hurdles)

Dominica (DMA) - Thea Lafond (women’s triple jump) and Dennick Luke (men’s 800m)

Equatorial Guinea (GEQ) - Alba Mbo Nchama (women’s 100m) and Benjamin Enzema (men’s 1500m)

Eritrea (ERI) - Nazret Weldu (women’s marathon)

Gambia (GAM) - Gina Bass (women’s 100m and 200m) and Ebrima Camara (men’s 100m)

Ghana (GHA) - Nadia Eke (women’s triple jump)

Guam (GUM) - Regine Kate Tugade (women’s 100m)

Israel (ISR) - Hanna Minenko (women’s triple jump)

Ivory Coast (CIV) - Marie-Josee Ta Lou (women’s 100m and 200m)

Jamaica (JAM) - Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (women's 100m, 200m and 4x100m)

Kazakhstan (KAZ) - Olga Rypakova (women’s triple jump)

Lao People's Democratic Republic (LAO) - Silina Pha Aphay (women’s 100m)

Liberia (LBR) - Ebony Morrison (women’s 100m hurdles) and Joseph Fahnbulleh (men’s 200m)

Mauritania (MTN) - Houleye Ba (women’s 100m) and Abidine Abidine (men’s 5000m)

Micronesia (FSM) - Scott James Fiti (men’s 100m)

Nauru (NRU) - Jonah Harris (men’s 100m)

Netherlands (NED) - Churandy Martina (men’s 4x100m)

Palau (PLW) - Adrian Justin Jimena Ililau (men’s 100m)

Panama (PAN) - Alonso Edward (men’s 200m)

Portugal (POR) - Nelson Evora (men’s triple jump)Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) - Tachlowini

Gabriyesos (marathon)

Rwanda (RWA) - John Hakizimana (men’s marathon)

Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) - Amya Clarke (women’s 100m) and Jason Rogers (men’s 100m)

Saint Lucia (LCA) - Levern Spencer (women’s high jump)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VIN) - Shafiqua Maloney (women’s 800m)

Samoa (SAM) - Alex Rose (men’s discus)Sao Tome and Principe (STP) - D'Jamila Tavares (women’s 800m)

Saudi Arabia (KSA) - Yasmeen Al Dabbagh (women's 100m)

Sierra Leone (SLE) - Maggie Barrie (women’s 100m)

Solomon Islands (SOL) - Sharon Firisua (women’s marathon)

Somalia (SOM) - Ali Idow Hassan (men’s 1500m)

South Sudan (SSD) - Lucia Moris (women’s 200m) and Abraham Guem (men’s 1500m)

Switzerland (SUI) - Mujinga Kambundji (women's 100m, 200m and 4x100m)

Timor Leste (TLS) - Felisberto de Deus (men’s 1500m)

Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) - Kelly-Ann Baptiste (women’s 100m and 4x100m)

Tuvalu (TUV) - Matie Stanley (women’s 100m) and Karalo Hepoiteloto Maibuca (men’s 100m)

Uruguay (URU) - Deborah Rodriguez (women’s 800m)

Vietnam (VIE) - Thi Lan Quach (women’s 400m hurdles)

After a dark season that has seen them lose massive earnings from the international circuit due to cancellation of global sporting events owing to the coronavirus pandemic, Kenyan athletes face another blow.

Kenya is among the nations yet to be cleared to travel into Schengen states when the European Union (EU) opens its borders on July 1.

The Kenya athletes will be hit hard should the country continue to remain on the Covid-19 compliace “blacklist” when the 2020 Diamond League circuit resumes in August.

Kenya is not among 54 world countries that will benefit from the reopening of the EU borders from July 1.

Things haven’t been made any easier as Kenya’s Covid-19 cases continue to rise in the country with 6,190 cases having been reported with 144 deaths and 2,013 recoveries by Monday.

However, athletes from Kenyan neighbors Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda are among the African countries who will be allowed to enter the Schengen states from July 1.

Should the ban be sustained, then Kenya’s world 1,500 meters champion Timothy Cheruiyot will not be able to defend his title alongside former champion Elijah Manang’ oi, among others, during the Monaco leg of the Diamond League on August 14.

Monaco will signal the resumption of Diamond League action.

More Kenyan athletes are likely to miss the Stockholm meet on August 23 in Sweden and if EU doesn’t clear Kenya then the athletes will also miss Brussels leg on September 4 in Belgium since the Lausanne meet on September 2 will be an exhibition event.

Nationals of the following countries are listed in this draft list of nations allowed into the EU from July 1:

Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Australia, Bahamas, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mauritius, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Serbia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia.

The global community of walkers and runners came together for the second straight weekend with over 13,000 people from 75 nations and all 50 states taking to the virtual start line for Rock ‘n’ Roll VR2, the second edition in the Rock ‘n’ Roll® Virtual Running™ (VR™) Series. Rock ‘n’ Roll VR2 offered participants two different race distances that included 10K and Half Marathon options.

Participants have the ability to compete anywhere, indoors or outdoors, as long as the distance of their choosing was completed in one session between Friday, May 1 at 2 p.m. ET and event close Sunday, May 3 at 7:59 p.m. ET.

Participants in Rock ‘n’ Roll VR2 came from around the world and ranged in age from 18 to 77. The United States led the way with over 7,000 walkers and runners followed by Canada (over 500), the United Kingdom (over 500), Mexico (over 250) and Spain (over 150).

Other nations represented included Argentina, Croatia, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Norway, and Turkey, among others. Of the 50 U.S. states represented, the greatest number came from California, followed by Texas, Florida, Virginia and Arizona. Nearly 10,000 participants took on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club™ Challenges leading up to Rock ‘n’ Roll VR2. Participants embarked on several separate running and workout challenges with the opportunity for rewards in the comfort of their own community.

The challenges included the United Airlines Challenge 1: Escape to San Francisco, which saw participants complete a 1.7-mile run, the exact distance it would take to cross the iconic Golden Gate Bridge; The St. Jude Challenge 1: 10,800 Strong, a 5-mile run in one period for the Heroes of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and a Community Challenge 2: Geena's "Oh, a Tree" Challenge a 50-minute fartlek, A.K.A “speed play”, session of consecutive running (a workout that helps the body adapt to various speeds, conditioning you to become faster over longer distances).

Special prizes such as a Rock ‘n’ Roll Hydration Backpack, Rock ‘n’ Roll Medal Display Hanger; and a Rock ‘n’ Roll by Brooks Running Company Accessories Bundle were awarded out. In total, 27,000 runners and walkers from across the globe have joined the Rock ‘n’ Roll® Virtual Running Club platform giving them access to a series of weekly races, challenges, and rewards.

This week, Rock ‘n’ Roll VR3 will offer two distances for the global community, including an 8K and 15K. Racing begins on Friday, May 8 at 2 p.m. ET and concludes on Sunday, May 10 at 7:59 p.m. ET. In addition, the first ever virtual Remix Challenge will be offered during this weekend’s races. Participants who take on both the Rock ‘n’ Roll VR3 8K and 15K can earn access to three medals beginning Friday, May 8 at 2 p.m. ET. To register for Rock ‘n’ Roll VR3, runners need to sign up for the distance they would like to do through the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club platform and connect to their tracker app. Runners can then complete their registration by going to the “Events” tab and clicking “Register Now” on the virtual race page.

Ethiopia's Andamlak Belihu and Tsehay Gemechu will return to defend their men's and women's titles respectively in the 15th edition of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon on October 20.

Belihu won men's half marathon title of this prestigious IAAF Gold Label Road Race last year in 59:18, just missing out on the course record of 59:06 which remained since 2014 in the name of compatriot Guye Adola.

"Immediately after last year's race I said that I was going to come back to Delhi in 2019 as I had unfinished business with the course record and I am keeping my promise," commented Belihu, who will still be just 20 on race day.

He returned to India in May earlier this year to also win the TCS World 10K title in Bengaluru, another IAAF Gold Label Road Race promoted by Procam International.

Last year, Belihu had to work hard to hold off his fellow Ethiopian Amdework Walelegn to win by four seconds. Walelegn will also return with the ambition of going one better in this year's race.

No less than eight men in the ADHM 2019 elite field have run under the world class benchmark of one hour but much of the attention will be on a man who has yet to run the distance, Hagos Gebrhiwet.

Gebrhiwet had planned to make his half marathon debut in Delhi last year but a late bout of illness curtailed his training. However, he will stand on the start line this year. He won a bronze in Rio Olympics 5000m race.

The fastest man in Delhi this year will be Erick Kiptanui. The Kenyan notched up two impressive half marathon victories in 2018 when winning at high-quality Lisbon and Berlin races, coming home in the German capital in a personal best 58:42, and he is currently equal seventh on the world all-time list.

Kiptanui has been concentrating mainly on the track but had a solid win at the Barcelona Half Marathon earlier in the year.

In the women's elite section last year, Gemechu made a huge impact in her debut over the distance when she set an ADHM women's course record of 66:50 and in 2019 she has shown it was no fluke with a string of sparkling performances both on the roads and the track, including taking the African Games 10,000m title.

The third and fourth-placed women from the ADHM 2018 also return with Ethiopia's Zeineba Yimer and Kenya's Stacy Ndiwa coming back to do battle.

The fastest woman in the ADHM 2019 elite field will be Caroline Kipkirui. The Kenyan-born runner, who now competes under the Kazakhstan flag, set a personal best of 65:07 in the 2018 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon.

World record holder and Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge will have a total of 42 pacemakers as he seeks to run the marathon in under two hours at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria in October.

More than half the pacemakers tasked with helping Kipchoge become the first man to break the two-hour mark either live and train in Kenya or have roots from the country.

"13 more pacemakers have been confirmed to help Kipchoge in his bid to become the first human to run a sub-two hour marathon at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna in October," organizers said in a statement on Wednesday.

All 13 of the pacers took part in testing for the challenge in Vienna at the start of September and will return for the real thing in three weeks' time with the aim of helping Kipchoge make history.

The other named pacers in this group include:

Eric Kiptanui of Kenya, who holds the sixth-fastest half-marathon time (58:42) from the 2018 Berlin Half-Marathon, Another slate of 13 elite runners has been named who will take turns pacing Eliud Kipchoge to what the world hopes will be the first-ever sub-two-hour marathon next month in Vienna, and it includes Marius Kipserem of Kenya, who set a new course record of 2:04:11 at the 2019 Rotterdam Marathon.

The other named pacers in this group include:

Eric Kiptanui of Kenya, who holds the sixth-fastest half-marathon time (58:42) from the 2018 Berlin Half-Marathon.

Micah Kogo of Kenya, 10000m bronze medallist at the 2008 Olympics, Chala Regasa of Ethiopia, who set a course record of 27:23 at the Valencia 10K Ibercaja in January, which is this year’s sixth-fastest time in the world over 21.1K. 

Gideon Kipketer of Kenya, who set his marathon PB of 2:05:51 at Tokyo in 2017, where he finished second.

Stanley Kebenei of USA, who raced the World Cross Country Championships in Denmark in March, and who finished second in the USATF 3,000m steeplechase national championships and will have just competed at the World Championships in Doha when he returns to Vienna.

Shadrack Koech of Kazakhstan ran a PB in the 10K of 28:22 in the Netherlands this year, and a PB over 10,000m of 28:24:40, also set this year. 

Moses Koech of Kenya finished third in 27:46 behind Joshua Cheptegei and Julien Wanders in the Durban 10K last year.

Thomas Ayeko of Uganda was part of the team that won gold at the Cross-Country World Championships in Denmark this year. He was fourth in the 5,000m at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and has a half-marathon PB of 60:26.

Emmanuel Bett of Kenya has a 10,000m PB of 26:51:16 and a half-marathon PB of 60:08.

Timothy Toroitich of Uganda made the final of the 10,000m at last year’s Commonwealth Games, after winning bronze at the African Championships. He also won bronze at the first Commonwealth Games half-marathon in Cardiff.

Kaan Kigen Ozbilen of Turkey, who changed his name in 2015 (he is the former Mike Kipruto Kigen). He won silver medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2006 African Championships representing Kenya. He holds national records for Turkey in both the half-marathon (59:48) and the marathon (2:05:27). He also won a silver medal in the European Championships half-marathon in 2016.

Kenyan runner Bernard Kimeli won Prague Half Marathon in men's race Saturday at 59:07, setting a new personal best, and Kenyan runner Caroline Kipkirui, who represented Kazakhstan, was best in women's competition in 1:05:44.

"I was well prepared, and I am also happy with the time," said Benard Kimeli after the race. He has improved his best record by 40 seconds compared to last year's victory.

As usual, The race was dominated by African runners mostly born in Kenya.

Kimeli was followed by Felix Kibitok and Stephen Kiprop, both Kenyan runners.

Kipkirui won ahead of Lonah Salpeter, Kenyan runner representing Israel. Lydia Njeri finished with a bronze at 1:07:52 as the first for Kenya.

Kenyan runner Fancy Chemutai, the second best woman in half marathon in the world, did not finish the race. Chemutai injured her ankle in May 2018.

Staged in one of Europe's most scenic capitals, and featuring the best Czech and international running stars, the Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon is one of the most the popular, fastest and fun half marathons in the world.

 

Fancy Chemutai, who injured her ankle in May 2018, announced her return to action in January, finishing second at the Houston Half Marathon in a time of 66:48, and believes she will be strong enough to challenge the course record in Prague, currently held by compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei in 64:52.

"I have been in good form for some time after the injury healed. It is a challenge for me in Prague but when I say I am back to my full potential, it means I have gauged myself. I will still fight for medals. I have sat down with my coach and I believe I have a chance to race again," said Chemutai, who currently trains in Iten.

The Kenyan, whose personal best time is 64:52, and last year's Prague runner-up Caroline Kipkirui (65:07), a Kenyan now competing for Kazakhstan, will lead Kenya's delegation to the Czech Republic capital.

However, they will also be up against strong opposition from Asian record-holder Alia Mohammed Saaeed (66:13), European 10,000m champion Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (67:55) of Israel and world marathon bronze medalist Amy Cragg from the United States (68:27).

"I have plans to run the full marathon, but the injury slowed me down," Chetumai said. "Now that I am back in action, I will discuss with the coaches and see how fast I can move to the marathon."

Kenyans Ednah Mukwana and Rebecca Korir  will headline the elite women field at the 16th edition of the  Beirut Marathon on November 11. Mukwana has a best of 2:30:24 which she ran to take victory at the Zhengzhou Marathon earlier this year, while Korir has a best of 2:29:16, which she ran to finish third at the Rotterdam Marathon in 2016. Another who will be in contention is Lithuania’s Raza Drazdauskaite, a three-time Olympian who clocked 2:29:29 to finish 26th at the London Games in 2012. Belarus’s Sviatlana Kudzelich comes in with impressive form at the shorter distances. The 31-year-old was a European indoor silver medallist over 3000m in 2015 and earlier this year she set her half marathon personal best of 1:11:45 in Prague. Ethiopia will have a trio of strong contenders in the form of Almensh Herpha, Medina Deme Armino and Nigist Muluneh Desta. Herpa took victory at the Lagos City Marathon on her most recent outing over this distance, while the Ethiopian has previous form at the BLOM Bank Beirut Marathon, finishing third in 2016. Armino has been enjoying a breakthrough year after lowering her PB to 2:33:17 when taking victory at the Treviso Marathon, while Desta lowered her best to 2:36:54 when finishing third at the Shenzhen Marathon last December. Another potential champion is Kazakhstan’s Gulzhanat Zhanatbek, who finished 14th in the marathon at the Asian Games in Jakarta in August. There will also be a strong local contingent, with Nisrine Njeim, Nadine Kalot and Hiba Traboulsi hoping to make an impact against their international rivals. Fellow Lebanese elite athletes Chirine Njeim, Nadia Dagher and Zainab Bazzi will tackle the half marathon, where Njeim will be targeting the Lebanese record. Athletes will compete for a first prize of US $15,000 with additional time bonuses on offer. There will also be substantial prize money and time bonuses available for the first Lebanese finishers.