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Paris Marathon Elite Athlete FieldsPublished by
Bekele's Opponents Announced for Paris MarathonPublished by the IAAF on March 18, 2014 Two months after legendary Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele announced that he will be making his 26.2 mile debut at the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris, the rest of the elite fields have been revealed for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on 6 April. Aside from the multiple world record-holder, there will be another Ethiopian Bekele competing in the French capital. Azmeraw Bekele smashed his marathon personal best by more than three minutes when finishing fifth in Dubai this year with 2:07:12. But another Ethiopian, Abdullah Shami, will have the honour of being the fastest man on the start-line. Winner of the Hamburg Marathon two years ago, Shami recorded two sub-2:06 marathons in 2012, setting his personal best of 2:05:42 in Dubai that year. Getachew Negari Terfa is one of the most consistent performers in the field. Undefeated in 2013, the Ethiopian won in Xiamen with a personal best of 2:07:32 and followed it two months later with a 2:07:56 victory in Rome. Limenih Getachew will be keen to secure his first marathon win, having finished on the podium in his first three marathons. The 23-year-old Ethiopian has a best of 2:07:35 set in Hamburg last year. Gezahagn Girma is another Ethiopian with a sub-2:08 best who will be competing in Paris for the first time. The former Marrakech Marathon winner has a PB of 2:07:41. Kipketer leads women’s field Kenya’s Valentine Kipketer has taken significant chunks off her personal best in each of her completed marathons to date. After a 2:28:02 debut in Hamburg two years ago, she won in Mumbai last year with 2:24:33 and rebounded from a DNF at the IAAF World Championships with a 2:23:02 victory in Amsterdam. Kipkete’s compatriot Flomena Cheyech also won two marathons in 2013. Her best result was a 2:24:34 lifetime best to triumph in Vienna. Meskerem Assefa leads the Ethiopian entrants. The former middle-distance specialist competed in the 1500m at the 2011 IAAF World Championships and 2012 Olympics, but has since switched to the roads and clocked 2:25:17 in her first marathon. ELITE FIELDS (with PBs) Men Women Read the full article at: www.iaaf.org
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