In his debut, Philemon Tarbei winning the Turin Marathon (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
The winners of the last two editions of the Turin Marathon, Kenyans Stephen Kibiwott and Philemon Tarbei will highlight this year’s Turin Marathon Gran Premio La Stampa.
The Turin Marathon is an IAAF Silver Label Road race.
Kibiwott, winner in 2006, is in very good form as shown by his recent victory in the Paris Half Marathon in 1:01:04.
Kibiwott will take on 2007 winner Philemon Tarbei who won last year in his debut over the distance in 2:10:24, Kenyan Joseph Ngeny (third at the 2006 Milan Marathon in his PB 2:09:27), Ethiopians Chimsa Deressa (PB 2:10:16) and Teshome Gelana (PB 2:11:58).
Kenyans John Komen and Daniel Limo will make their debut over the distance.
Ukraine’s Vasyl Matvichuk, a former European junior champion in the 10,000 metres and in the cross country, Larbi Es- Sraidi, a french runner of Moroccan origin, Georgy Andreev of Russia (2:11:02 in Frankfurt in 2007) and Italian Francesco Bennici (second in the 2005 Turin Marathon) will be the top European challengers to African runners.
The women’s race will be focused on the attempt by Italian runner Vincenza Sicari to run 2:30 to book her berth for the Olympic Games in Bejing. In her previous attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games earlier this year, Sicari was forced to drop out of the Maratona Città di Roma and Turin will represent her last chance.
Sicari won the last two editions of the Florence Marathon and set her PB last year when she won the Maratona Sant’Antonio in Padua with 2:30:34.
Sicari will take on Kenyan Catherine Kirui (in her first ever marathon race), Ethiopian Letay Negash, Siriene De Pinho from Brazil (PB 2:35:45) and Petra Teveli from Hungary (2:35:21).
Gelindo Bordin, Olympic marathon champion in Seoul 1988, will run the Turin Marathon to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of his historic win in the Korean capital. To mark this special anniversary Bordin will wear a special bib number 88.
The Turin Marathon will start in Via Po at 9.15 and finish in Piazza Castello.
During the live broadcast of the Turin Marathon on Rai Television on Sunday morning from 9.00 spectators will be guided through the history of Turin by a special programme called “Di corsa nella storia” (Running back into history), in which the most famous monuments and buildings of the beautiful Piedmont city will be shown.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
