Berlin marathon
Bekele to attempt marathon world record after COVID scare
The 39-year-old Ethiopian came within just two seconds of Eliud Kipchoge's current men's world record of two hours, one minute and 39 seconds when he won the...
Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele won the race for the second time in 2019, missing out on the world record by just two seconds.
The marathon world records for men and women since 1983.
Bekele left it late to hit the lead, overtaking countryman Birhanu Legese on the 38th kilometre before hitting top speed as he chased the world record of 2:01:39 set in Berlin last year by Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge.
Eliud Kipchoge’s record time in Berlin has ignited talk in the athletics world of whether the Kenyan, or perhaps someone else, can dip under two hours sooner rather than later.
The 33-year-old, widely seen as the greatest marathon runner of the modern era, ran an official time of time of two hours, one minute and 39 seconds.
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The 33-year-old, widely seen as the greatest marathon runner of the modern era, has won almost every major marathon on the calendar.
Earlier this year, Kipchoge came close to a sub-two-hour marathon during the Nike Breaking2 project though his time is not an official world record due to aspects of the event not satisfying IAAF criteria.
Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge has the marathon world record firmly in his sights in Berlin on Sunday as he attempts a sub-two-hour race.