FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From pacemaker to world champion and beyond
Marathon world champion Ghirmay Ghebreslassie will be going for gold again
this weekend when he attempts to crack Kenya's dominance at the 2016 Virgin
Money London Marathon.
Ahead of his London Marathon debut on Sunday 24 April, the young Eritrean
runner looked relaxed as he took his place among the world's best marathon
runners to reflect on the 26.2-mile challenge that lies ahead.
Sitting alongside defending champion Eliud Kipchoge, New York champion
Stanley Biwott, former world record holder Wilson Kipsang, current world
record holder Dennis Kimetto and track legend Kenenisa Bekele,
Ghebreslassie said he will take inspiration from his gold-medal performance
at the World Championships in Beijing last summer.
"Returning to Eritrea after winning the World Championships marathon was
one of the most special moments in my life," he said. "It felt like all the
people of Eritrea welcomed me home. The ceremony when I returned is a
really special inspiration for me."
The 20-year-old became the youngest marathon world champion ever when he
triumphed in the Chinese capital last summer, proving that his lack of
years was no barrier to success.
When he stands on the Start Line in Greenwich, he'll be looking to put an
end to Kenya's dominance in the elite men's race after wins for the East
African nation in 2014 and 2015.
"On Sunday I will be racing against the best marathon runners in the
world," said Ghebreslassie. "That will be very special for me because the
first time I met many of them was when I was a pacemaker at the Chicago
Marathon in 2014."
Back then the young Eritrean was charged with pacing the elite men to 25km
as a learning experience, but instead of dropping out of the race he
decided to continue to the finish, eventually placing sixth and gaining
invaluable marathon know-how, which he used to devastating effect in
Beijing last summer.
Pacemaker no more, Ghebreslassie will be looking for the win on Sunday and
he could well be the man to pull it off. He is the only one of the six
runners assembled for today's press conference who does not have the
pressure of Rio Olympic selection hanging over him.
"There are four Eritreans racing here on Sunday, looking for Olympic
selection, but I'm confident that I will be in Rio for the Olympics in the
summer," he said. "I will do my best to beat the others on Sunday and see
what I can do."
Bekele will also be hoping to upset the Kenyan party at this year's London
Marathon, but the 33-year-old Ethiopian admitted that he's not 100 per cent
fit ahead of Sunday's race.
"Since I won the Paris Marathon in 2014 I have suffered from many injury
problems," said the five-time world track champion. "It has been difficult,
but things have been getting better. I'm 90 per cent fit so my goal on
Sunday is to challenge the world's best marathon runners."
He might be an outside bet for victory on Sunday, but Bekele's longer-term
goal remains – he wants to break Kimetto's world record of 2:02:57.
"I believe I can do it," he said. "I have the confidence and strength to
continue my career. I'm still improving and my goal is to break the world
record.
"My hunger to train hard comes from motivation and confidence about what
I'm doing, and with that comes improved performance. In the last four
months I have had treatment for the injuries every week and things are
improving."
Bekele currently holds world and Olympic records for both 5000m and
10,000m, but only time will tell whether he can add the marathon mark to
the list. His performance at the 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon could
take him a step closer to his goal.
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