BEKELE TOPS STUNNING FIELD FOR 2017 VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON
Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele tops the list of world-class contenders announced today for the men's elite race at the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 23 April.
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Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele tops the list of world-class contenders announced today for the men's elite race at the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 23 April.
Already a triple Olympic champion and double world record holder on the track, Bekele became the world's second fastest marathon runner of all time when he won the 2016 Berlin Marathon last September.
Bekele missed the world record by just six seconds when he crossed the finish line in the German capital in two hours three minutes three seconds after a thrilling battle with former world record holder Wilson Kipsang.
It was the fastest marathon time in the world in 2016 and broke Haile Gebreselassie's Ethiopian record, sending a powerful message to the selectors who had left him out of Ethiopia's team for the Rio Olympic Games.
Now Bekele will seek to become only the third Ethiopian man ever to win the coveted London Marathon title and the first since two-time winner Tsegaye Kebede in 2013.
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