The marathon promises to be fierce in the World Championship

The marathon content takes place on the last two days. In which, the women's race is at 12:00 on August 26, Hanoi time. The male runners competed a day later, same time slot.

Last year, Tola showed outstanding class when running the last 10 km in 28 minutes and 31 seconds to finish first, ahead of compatriot Mosinet Gerenew by 1 minute and 8 seconds. He maintained his high form this year when he finished third at the London Marathon in April with 2 hours 4 minutes 59 seconds, behind Kelvin Kuptum (2 hours 1 minute 25 seconds) and Geoffrey Kamworor (2 hours 4 minutes 23 seconds).

Neither Kuptum nor Kamworor will compete in Budapest this year, but Tola still faces a major challenge to defend her title against two Kenyans who outrun him this year. Timothy Kiplagat clocked in at 2 hours 3 minutes 50 seconds when he finished second behind Bashir Abdi of Belgium at the Rotterdam Marathon in April. Abdi - the bronze medal runner in Oregon 2022 - did not participate in this year's event, but Kiplagat will join team Kenya. with Joshua Belet - who finished second at the Hamburg Marathon in April with a time of 2 hours 4 minutes 33 seconds.

Another notable Kenyan runner is Titus Kipruto - who finished fourth at Tokyo Marathon 2023 with a time of 2 hours 5 minutes 32 seconds and had a best time (PB) of 2 hours 4 minutes 54 seconds when finishing second in Amsterdam last year. last.

But Budapest 2023 is not just a game of runners from Kenya and Ethiopia - two marathon powerhouses in East Africa. Abdi Nageeye (Netherlands) is also a notable name. The 34-year-old runner finished second behind the legendary Eliud Kipchoge in Tokyo 2021, third in New York 2022 and Rotterdam in April.

Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania is a seasoned marathon runner for major events. The 31-year-old runner won the world bronze medal in London 2017 and the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year. He also finished fifth and seventh in the last two Olympic marathons.

Commonwealth champion Victor Kaplangat joins the Uganda team with Stephen Kissa, who set a national record of 2 hours 4 minutes 48 seconds in Hamburg last year. Morocco's Mohamed Reda El Aarby finished second in New York 2021 and fourth last year.

There are also a series of elites that reached sub 2:06 at Budapest 2023, including Israel's Gashu Ayale - European bronze medalist, Kaan Kigen Ozbilen of Turkey, Goitom Kifle and Oqbe Kibrom of Eritrea, along with a Japanese duo Kenya Sonota and Ichitaka Yamashita.

Gebreslase - the world 3,000m U18 champion in 2011 - couldn't keep up with these two runners in Boston with a steep route in April, when she finished tenth in her only marathon of the year in a time of 2 hours. 24 minutes 34 seconds. Gebreslase was eight places behind and finished 2 minutes 44 seconds after compatriot Amane Beriso - who won the silver medal, behind Hellen Obiri.

At the age of 31, Beriso still maintains his high form when surpassing the 10,000m world champion Letesenbet Gidey to win the Valencia 2022 gold medal with a record of 2 hours 14 minutes 58 seconds. This is the third best women's marathon in history, behind only Brigid Kosgei (2 hours 14 minutes 4 seconds) and Ruth Chepngeich (2 hours 14 minutes 18).

Gebreslase will also have to compete with Rosemary Wanjiru, a Kenyan runner who overtook Gidey to hold the sixth-best record in history when he won Tokyo in March with a time of 2 hours 16 minutes 28 seconds. Wanjiru - the fourth runner-up in the 10,000m world final in Doha in 2019 - achieved the best marathon debut in history - 2 hours 18 minutes - when he won the runner-up, behind Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia in Berlin last year. last.

In addition to Gebreslase, five other people who finished in the top 10 at Oregon 2022 will compete in this year's tournament, including bronze medalist Lonah Chemtai Salpeter of Israel, fourth place Nazret Weldu of Eritrea and Keira D'Amato of the US (ranked). eight), Japan's Mizuki Matsuda (ninth) and Mexico's Citiali Moscote (10th).

The tournament also features the second fastest female runner in 2023, Tsehay Gemechu, the Ethiopian runner-up behind Wanjiru in Tokyo with a time of 2 hours 16 minutes 56 seconds, and the 2017 marathon world champion Rose Chelimo Bahraini people. Yalemzerf Yehualaw is Ethiopia's other medal hope. She currently holds the world record of 10 km and achieved a time of 2 hours 17 minutes 23 seconds in her first marathon last year, won the London 2022 championship and finished fifth at this year's tournament.

Meanwhile, Wanjiru will join the Kenyan team with Selly Kaptich - who won bronze in the world half marathon in 2014 and finished third in Berlin 2019, and Shyline Jepkorir - champion at Enschede in April with a time of 2 hours. 22 minutes 45 seconds.

Australia's Lisa Weightman is also highly appreciated when she won the Commonwealth medal twice and finished fourth in Osaka in February with a time of 2 hours 23 minutes 15 seconds. Another elite is Poland's Aleksandra Lisowska - who broke out in the last 2km to win the European Championship in Munich 12 months ago.