Khalid Choukoud went under the limit at the Valencia Marathon at the Paris Olympics. On the fast track in Spain, Choukoud went under 2:08 for the first time and crossed the finish line in 2:07:37.
This meant the 37-year-old Hague native fell well short of the Olympic requirement of 2.08.10.
Just seven weeks ago in Amsterdam, Choukoud improved her personal marathon record to 2:08:36. In retrospect, he had already expressed the expectation that containment might be possible. He was hoping to be a little faster on the express route in Valencia and that turned out to be the case.
Choukoud ran the first 25 kilometers on a tight schedule, which would result in a finish time close to Olympic regulations. In the second half of the marathon, Choukoud even managed to pick up the pace.
Choukoud took 23rd place with a new personal best of 2:07:37, which shows how fast things are going in Valencia.
Abdi Nageeye became the fourth athlete to be nominated for the Olympic marathon in Paris, after Sifan Hassan and Anne Luijten. As long as no more athletes fall below the limit in the coming months, Choukoud can prepare for the Olympic marathon.
Two years ago, Choukoud failed to finish the Olympic marathon in Sapporo. He was struggling with stomach problems at that time.
Lemma is below 2.02 for the fourth time
The winner in Valencia was Ethiopian Sisay Lemma with a time of 2:01:48. Lemma was leading at the halfway mark with Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie and compatriot Dawit Wolde as pacemakers.
At the time, the quartet was well below Kelvin Kiptum’s October WR schedule (2:00:35). Lemma was forced to gradually abandon Kiptum’s program when he set off alone with about 10 kilometers to go.
Kenyan Alexander Mutiso, who showed a strong performance in the final section, took second place, well behind his opponent, with a time of 2:03.11. Wolde, who stumbled across the finish line, finished third with a time of 2:03:48.
Lemma had the best time joining very elite company.
He became the fourth marathon runner to complete 42.2 kilometers in under 2 hours and 2 minutes. Only world record holders Kelvin Kiptum (2.00.35, Chicago 2023), Eliud Kipchoge (2.01.09, Berlin 2022) and Kenenisa Bekele (2.01.41, Berlin 2019) had achieved this before him.
Bekele had to settle for fourth place in Valencia.
Cheptegei is not Hasan yet
Joshua Cheptegei, Olympic champion in 5,000 meters and second in 10,000 meters, competed in his first marathon in Valencia.
The Ugandan athlete, trained by Dutch Addy Ruiter, could not meet the high expectations and finished 37th with a time of 2:08.50.
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
