LONDON MARATHON
Date and time:
Sunday, 26 April from 0900 BST
Coverage:
Watch live on BBC One, with a choice of cameras on the red button and the BBC Sport website; Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live
 Lel won a third title in London last year and is chasing a third successive win
|
Kenya's Martin Lel is confident he will overcome a hip injury to chase a record fourth London Marathon title on Sunday.
Lel, 30, set a course record of two hours five minutes and 15 seconds to win last year's race, but faces a scan to discover the extent of his injury.
"I'm confident of running, in my mind I'm preparing to run," he said.
If fit, Lel will face world champion Luke Kibet and Beijing Olympic marathon medallists Sammy Wanjiru, Jaouad Gharib and Tsegaye Kebede in a tough race.
Lel told BBC London 94.9: "I hope I'll make history and hope not be forgotten. The crowd in London really makes me happy and motivates me to do something extra.
Even if Wednesday's scan shows the injury to be more serious than first thought, Lel will not rush a decision as to whether he pulls out of attempting to win a third successive London race or not.
His coach, Gabriele Rosa said: "If necessary we will wait until just before the race starts before making the decision. It will not take place until then."
The race organisers have arranged pacemakers to take the field through the first 20 miles on world record pace and are hopeful that Haile Gebrselassie's six-month-old world record of 2:03.59 can be challenged.
 |
606: DEBATE
BBC Sport's Martin Gough
|
And Wanjiru, who became the first Kenyan to win Olympic marathon gold, believes he can better the Ethiopian's mark.
The 22-year-old, who ran the fastest time in a major championship by two minutes to win in Beijing, said: "If the pace is very good, I will try to break the world record."
Wanjiru finished nine seconds behind Lel in a sprint finish up the Mall in London last year but this time around he is determined to win.
"This time I want to beat him and my last kick will be better," he told BBC London 94.9.
British hopes of even a top-10 finish are slim, with Tomas Abyu - who has twice finished 16th in the last three years - heading a depleted list of domestic runners.
|
I think two hours 22 minutes will be good enough for a top three
Mara Yamauchi
|
However, in the women's race, Oxford-born Mara Yamauchi believes her best ever preparation for a marathon could finally earn her a podium place this Sunday.
The 35-year-old former Foreign & Commonwealth diplomat placed 17th on her debut five years ago but has since turned professional and now lives and trains in Japan, a regime that bore fruit with victory in last year's Osaka marathon.
And she says she is confident of winning a medal, despite Constantina Dita, Catherine Ndereba and Zhou Chunxiu - the medallists at last summer's Olympic Games - all competing.
"All I seem to do now is to train, shower and eat," she said. "I'm focusing to get the best out of myself and there are no short-cuts.
"To be a top marathon runner, you have to devote your life to it.
"On Sunday, I think two hours 22 minutes will be good enough for a top three. I'm not trying for a few seconds improvement, I will be be trying to take a big chunk off it.
"I want to do 2hr 22min and I think I can. I hope that day will be on Sunday."
No comments:
Post a Comment