Milan, Italy – Reigning Olympic and European marathon champion Stefano Baldini of Italy will make his final competitive test at the 36th edition of the Stramilano International Half Marathon in Milan on Sunday 1 April just three weeks before he races at the Flora London Marathon on 22 April.

Baldini’s test at the half marathon distance comes after the second of his seasonal training stints in Namibia where he trained with a group of top Italian marathon runners under the guidance of Lucio Gigliotti.

The Olympic champion suffered a setback in mid-February when a bout of flu forced him to miss a crucial week of preparation. He had to pull out of the Italian Club Cross Championships in Modena which were staged not far from his home in Rubiera. He struggled to return to his best condition in the following weeks, and did not compete at the Cinque Mulini in his best shape and finished a distant 12th. But according to Gigliotti, who closely followed his training in Namibia, Baldini seems to be returning to his best form.

Baldini ran last year at the Stramilano where he finished third in 61:14 which launched his successful 2006 season in which he set the Italian marathon record in London with 2:07:22 and won his second European title in Gothenburg (previous was in 1998). At the end of 2006 Baldini ran his third seasonal marathon in New York where he crossed the finish-line in sixth place in 2:11:33. He scored an average time of 2:10:35 in his three 2006 marathons which proved once again his consistency.

African challenge

On Sunday in Milan the Italian hero will face a very tough test against 2005 IAAF Half Marathon champion Fabiano Joseph from Tanzania, one of the most consistent half marathon competitors in recent years. Joseph boasts a remarkable CV in the World Half Marathon Championships where he collected a very narrow win over Mubarak Shami from Qatar in Edmonton 2005, and two silvers - Vilamoura 2003 and New Delhi 2005.

Joseph, who also won the 2006 Commonwealth bronze medal in the 10,000 metres in Melbourne and a World junior silver over the same distance in Grosseto in 2004, first emerged at the Stramilano in 2003 where he finished fourth at the age of 18.

Last year’s Stramilano winner Paul Kimaiyo Kimugul will be attempting to defend his title. After a successful road running season last spring, the Kenyan, who spends part of the year in the Italian town of Domodossola, suffered from a knee injury which slowed his progress.

Other Kenyan top runners lining up in Milan will be Jackson Kiprono Kirwa (first in the recent Ferrara Half Marathon with his PB of 61:34) and Philemon Kipchumba Kisang (fourth at the 2006 Stramilano with 61:27).

Italian Giuliano Battocletti, and former European junior cross country champion Vasyl Matvichuk from Ukraine will test their form ahead of future marathon competitions.

WOMEN's race

Hungarian star Aniko Kalovics starts as a strong favourite in the women’s race which she has already won twice in 2005 and 2006 thanks to her usual front-running tactics. Kalovics will use the Stramilano race as a test before the Turin Marathon on 15 April where she will try to improve her national record (2:26:44) set in October during her victorious race in Carpi.

Another well-known name to Italian athletics fans will be Nadja Ejjaffini from Bahrain - born in Rabat, Morocco - who recently beat Kalovics at the Italian Club Cross Championships in Modena. Already this year Ejjaffini has finished runner-up in the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon.

Kenya will be represented by Anne Kosgei who set a marathon career best of 2:30 in Venice. She has already competed in Milan last autumn when she finished third in the Milan City Marathon.

The line-up is completed by some top Italian marathon runners like national marathon champion Ivana Iozzia, Debora Toniolo (marathon PB 2:28:31 set in Treviso in 2006) and last year’s Florence Marathon winner Vincenza Sicari. 

Changes to course

The 2007 edition will be marked by some important changes. The race will start from Piazza Castello and will not finish in the Arena Civica Stadium, as in the tradition of this race, but in Piazza Cannone. This change to the traditional racecourse is due to the refurbishment of the athletics track in the old Napoleonic Area Stadium which will play host to this summer’s European Cup First League Group B from 23 to 24 June.

The Stramilano has a reputation for producing fast times but also for its mass race which traditionally attracts about 50,000 amateurs who will take part in the 12km non-competitive fun run which will start from Piazza del Duomo at 9am
         
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF