Ethiopia Vows to Bag Double Win In Marseille-Cassis Classique
While the Marseille-Cassis Classique marathon is on, Meseret Mengistu, the favourite for the women’s race vows to defend her title, while Deriba Merga and Lelisa Desisa are looking forward to bag first male win for Ethiopia.
Lelisa Desisa, who has been just back from the World Half Marathon Championships, where he eventually ended up at the seventh position, possesses the profile which shows his potential to become the first Ethiopian winner of Marseille-Cassis Marathon. The
20 years old African, who also happened to be the African Junior 10,000 meters champion, ended up at the second position in Paris Half Marathon held in March. He had also depicted his personal best of 59 minutes and 59 seconds for the same length in January
at Abu Dahbi.
Deriba Merga, the 28-years old teammate of Desisa at Marseille had bagged 4th position at Beijing Olympics Marathon. However, his current form is rather questionable as amid not being in the proper shape, he had pulled out in his last two races
held in Chuncon and Chicago.
Kenya, the traditional dominator in Marathon, who had emphatically won 12 out of the 15 editions of Marseille-Cassis, would enter into the competition with a strong squad. The Kenyan contingent would comprise of Philemon Limo, the 25 years old runner who
finished unbeaten after a fast 10 kilometres held in Rennes and bagged a convincing win in 9.6 kilometres race held in Biella, and Richard Limo who is considered track specialist for the conventional marathon races. Limo, ending up with two hours, nine minutes
and forty eight seconds at Los Angeles and two hours, nine minutes and fifty eight seconds at San Diego has already proved his consistency in long distance runs.
The classic and traditional fight between Kenyans and Ethiopians might be disturbed by the Tanzanian athlete Samwel Sharui. Sharui had finished second in last year’s Marseille-Cassis event. In the absence of Dieudonne Disi, the title holder, he would have
the advantage of knowing the course the best.
Among women athletes, Meseret Mengistu would be defending her title. The 20-years old athlete is being considered favourite for the race. She has not only worked upon and improved her shape than the last year, she has recently set her personal best at Nanning
by crossing the finishing line in mere 69 minutes and thirty one seconds, she ended up at the 6th position.
The young girl had made her debut in April last year, where she stood eighth in Rotterdam by making it to the finishing line in two hours, thirty four minutes and seven seconds. Emebet Itaa Bedada, her teammate has proved to be sharper a month ago where
she depicted her best time of seventy minutes and fifty four seconds for half marathon, the longest distance she has ever ran for. Bedada had also made it to win 1500 meters and 300 meters competitions for African Junior Championships in 2007. She ended up
third in World Junior Cross Country Championships in 2008.
Jane Kiptoo, the former track specialist, who has now developed herself into a fine road runner and who had won this year’s Milan Half Marathon with an impressive time of 69 minutes and fifty two seconds. Along with Josephine Kimuyu, who has recently bagged
the title in Saint-Denis while setting her personal best of 71 minutes and 7 seconds, would represent the Kenyan women’s team.
The chances for Europe to win the event are contingent upon the performance of Olea Burkovska, the Ukrainian Athlete who stood fifth in Berlin Marathon about a month ago. She took two hours, twenty eight minutes and thirty one seconds to cross the line.
With around 15,000 runners taking part into the race, the Marseille-Cassis Classique marathon would start at Velodrome Sradium at Marseille. The biggest potential challenge for the athletes participating into the event would be a 327 m climb prior to setting
the pace for 10 kilometre long Col de Ginests. The last half of the race would take place at the Plateau of Carpiagne.
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