Thursday, 08 October 2009
Wanjiru and Baldini to square off in Melbourne 15Km
Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya celebrates his victory in the Olympic marathon (Getty Images)
relnews
Melbourne, Australia - Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru and Italian Stefano Baldini, the past two Olympic champions in the marathon, will face off over 15Km in the 2009 Great Australian Run in Melbourne on Sunday, 29 November.
No man in history has gone under the two hour mark for the marathon and Wanjiru, who holds the half marathon World record, has boldly predicted that he will be the man to do it.
And with a personal best of 2:05:10 set in winning this year’s London Marathon, he believes it’s only a matter of time before he breaks the great Haile Gebrselassie's World marathon record of 2:03:59 set in Berlin last year.
“These goals are still both within my reach. I’m only one minute and 11 seconds off the world record and I believe I can break the two hour mark within the next five years. I must believe in it,” said the 22-year-old, who will contest the Chicago Marathon on Sunday (11).
“I am in good shape and I’ll try to run fast,” said Wanjiru about his outing in Chicago, on what is likely to be his final race before the Great Australian Run.
In Beijing last year, the then 21-year-old made his mark in Olympic history, becoming the youngest Marathon gold medallist since 1932 and the first ever Kenyan athlete to win Olympic gold in the 42.195km event.
Covering the course in 2:06:32, he smashed the Olympic record by two minutes and 49 seconds, erasing Portugal’s Carlos Lopes time of 2:09:21 set at the 1984 Olympics from the record books.
Wanjiru’s credentials don’t end there. After breaking the World half marathon record for the first time in 2005 (this was improved by Haile Gebrselassie the same year), the diminutive Kenyan regained the honour as the fastest man over the distance two years later, clocking 58:33 in the Fortis City-Pier-City race in the Netherlands.
Joining Wanjiru on the start line at the Great Australian Run in seven weeks time will be 2004 Olympic champion Stefano Baldini, and Melbourne’s extensive Italian community will be out in force to cheer on one of their favourite sons.
The 38-year-old has spent nearly three decades in the sport, winning his first major title at the World Half Marathon Championships in 1996.
Making his marathon mark with two bronze medals at the 2001 and 2003 world championships, it was one year later in 2004 that he became just the second Italian in history to win the Olympic marathon title following Gelindo Bordin’s victory in Seoul 1988.
Baldini competed against Wanjiru twice last year, at the London marathon and then at the Olympics, and holds his rival in high regard.
“Samuel is the present and future. He is young but also an experienced athlete because he started his international career very early,” said Baldini.
“I think he is the only athlete at the moment able to beat Haile Gebreselassie's world record in the marathon. He only needs a flat course and good race conditions.”
Organisers for the IAAF
No man in history has gone under the two hour mark for the marathon and Wanjiru, who holds the half marathon World record, has boldly predicted that he will be the man to do it.
And with a personal best of 2:05:10 set in winning this year’s London Marathon, he believes it’s only a matter of time before he breaks the great Haile Gebrselassie's World marathon record of 2:03:59 set in Berlin last year.
“These goals are still both within my reach. I’m only one minute and 11 seconds off the world record and I believe I can break the two hour mark within the next five years. I must believe in it,” said the 22-year-old, who will contest the Chicago Marathon on Sunday (11).
“I am in good shape and I’ll try to run fast,” said Wanjiru about his outing in Chicago, on what is likely to be his final race before the Great Australian Run.
In Beijing last year, the then 21-year-old made his mark in Olympic history, becoming the youngest Marathon gold medallist since 1932 and the first ever Kenyan athlete to win Olympic gold in the 42.195km event.
Covering the course in 2:06:32, he smashed the Olympic record by two minutes and 49 seconds, erasing Portugal’s Carlos Lopes time of 2:09:21 set at the 1984 Olympics from the record books.
Wanjiru’s credentials don’t end there. After breaking the World half marathon record for the first time in 2005 (this was improved by Haile Gebrselassie the same year), the diminutive Kenyan regained the honour as the fastest man over the distance two years later, clocking 58:33 in the Fortis City-Pier-City race in the Netherlands.
Joining Wanjiru on the start line at the Great Australian Run in seven weeks time will be 2004 Olympic champion Stefano Baldini, and Melbourne’s extensive Italian community will be out in force to cheer on one of their favourite sons.
The 38-year-old has spent nearly three decades in the sport, winning his first major title at the World Half Marathon Championships in 1996.
Making his marathon mark with two bronze medals at the 2001 and 2003 world championships, it was one year later in 2004 that he became just the second Italian in history to win the Olympic marathon title following Gelindo Bordin’s victory in Seoul 1988.
Baldini competed against Wanjiru twice last year, at the London marathon and then at the Olympics, and holds his rival in high regard.
“Samuel is the present and future. He is young but also an experienced athlete because he started his international career very early,” said Baldini.
“I think he is the only athlete at the moment able to beat Haile Gebreselassie's world record in the marathon. He only needs a flat course and good race conditions.”
Organisers for the IAAF