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MARATHON

Ethiopia’s Bekele nears record in Berlin marathon win

Kenenisa Bekele narrowly missed out on the world record on Sunday as the Ethiopian won the Berlin marathon ahead of former winner Wilson Kipsang.

Ethiopia's Bekele nears record in Berlin marathon win
Participants in the Berlin marathon take to the streets on Sunday. Photo:Paul Zinken/dpa
The ex-Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion crossed the finish line in an unofficial time of two hours 03min 04sec — just short of Dennis Kimetto's world record of 2:02:57 set here in 2014. Bekele's time was an Ethiopian national record.
   
Kipsang, who won the 2013 Berlin Marathon in a then-world record time, finished just nine seconds back and Kenya's Evans Chebet took third with 2:05:31.
   
Bekele ran the second fastest time ever, just seven seconds away from Kimetto's record, and Kipsang's time was the fourth fastest. The men's world record has fallen seven times in Berlin, six times since
2003.
   
This was another fast race over 42km, the relatively flat course lacking the cobblestones of London and the bridges of the New York courses. Kipsang reached the 35km mark in 1:41:56 – exactly on the world record pace
– with Bekele trailing just behind him, but the Ethiopian caught the Kenyan with three kilometres to go.
   
Bekele made his move in the dying stages of the race, pulling clear of Kipsang as the pair headed towards the finish just past Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate.

MARATHON

Berlin marathon cancelled for 2020 over coronavirus

The organisers of the Berlin Marathon said Wednesday that they have cancelled the race for 2020 due to problems finding an alternative date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Berlin marathon cancelled for 2020 over coronavirus
Berlin marathon runners in 2019. Photo: DPA

The race was initially postponed from April to September 27th, but organisers have now cancelled this year's event, which attracted 62,000 runners in 2019, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Due to the weather conditions alone and shortening days, it's very difficult to hold the Berlin Marathon… before the end of this year,” said race director Jürgen Jock.

“The question of whether athletes will be able to travel internationally again by then cannot be answered now.” 

Organisers added: “Your health, as well as all of our health, is our first priority.

“Therefore, taking into account the Containment Measures Ordinance due to the COVID-19 pandemic… the Berlin Marathon 2020 will not be able to take place.”

The city of Berlin has banned events with more than 5,000 participants since April.

The flat, fast course around Berlin's city centre is where Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya set the men's world marathon record of 2hr 01min 39sec in 2018.

It was the eighth time in the previous 20 years that the men's world record has fallen on the streets of Berlin.

Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 over the marathon distance in Vienna last October, but the time is not recognised as a world record as the event was not an open competition.

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