Netherlands Without Kelvin Kiptum - the late record holder who once planned to break the sub-2 mark at the tournament, the Rotterdam Marathon 2024 was still exciting with home runner Abdi Nageeye winning with 2 hours 4 minutes 45 seconds.
Rotterdam Marathon held a minute of silence for Kiptum before the race on the morning of April 14.
After setting a record of 2:00:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, Kiptum was set to return to action at the Rotterdam Marathon, a non-World Marathon Majors event. He was aiming to become the first person to break the sub-2 mark – running a marathon in under 2 hours in an official race – at the event in the Netherlands, before his sudden death.
After a quiet moment to pay tribute to Kiptum, the 2024 Rotterdam Marathon kicked off in near-perfect conditions. Nine runners broke away early in the first few kilometres, before the lead group was whittled down to nine runners by the 30km mark.
Nageeye surged ahead in the sprint to finish first in 2:04:45 and set a new marathon record for the Netherlands. Nageeye was just five seconds ahead of Ethiopia's Amedework Walelegn - the 2020 world half marathon champion - while Ethiopia's Birhanu Legese finished third in 2:05:16.
This is Nageeye's second Rotterdam Marathon win, having first won in 2022, when he became the first Dutchman to win the race and set a national record of 2 hours 4 minutes 56 seconds. The 35-year-old Somali-born athlete finished third at the New York City Marathon that same year and won a silver medal in the marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Nageeye was delighted to win the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14 with a time of 2 hours 4 minutes 45 seconds, setting a new Dutch marathon record. Photo: NN Rotterdam Marathon
The Rotterdam Marathon, which started in 1983, is also a prestigious race, with a flat course, with a total elevation gain of 100 meters, significantly less than the 145 meters of another major race, London. The record for the race is still held by Belgian runner Bashir Abdi, who set it in 2021, just three months before he won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
In the women's category, Ethiopia's Ashete Bekere also won the Rotterdam Marathon for the second time, finishing first in 2 hours 19 minutes 20 seconds. Following her were Kenya's Viola Kibiwot in 2 hours 20 minutes 57 seconds and Kenya's Selly Chepyengo in 2 hours 22 minutes 46 seconds.
Bekere won the 2019 Rotterdam Marathon in 2 hours 22 minutes 55 seconds. She also won the 2018 Valencia Marathon, the 2019 Berlin Marathon and finished third at the 2021 London Marathon. The 35-year-old's personal best (PB) is 2 hours 17 minutes 58 seconds when she finished second at the 2022 Tokyo Marathon.
Hong Duy
Source link
Comment (0)