Haile Gebrselassie to take part in 10km race in Singapore
At 41, Ethiopian legend Haile Gebrselassie is set to make his competitive debut in south-east Asia this weekend in a 10km race held on the programme of the Singapore International Marathon.
Haile Gebrselassie has raced in most parts of the world during his international career which dates all the way back to the 1991 IAAF World Cross-Country Championships but the 41-year-old will be racing in south-east Asia for the first time on Sunday (7) in the Singapore International Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.
The Ethiopian will be contesting the 10km race on Sunday which has registered more than 13,000 runners. On the track, Gebrselassie won two Olympic and four world titles over the distance between 1993 and 2000 and set a since-beaten world record of 27:02 on the roads back in Doha in 2002.
Gebrselassie hasn’t had the best racing season in 2014 with his most recent appearance resulting in a DNF at the Great Scottish Run in October but he is still looking forward to racing in south-east Asia for the first time on Sunday and attending some of the pre-race running clinics.
“Everyone I’ve spoken with has told me the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore is one of the great events in Asia and I’m delighted to have chosen this race as my first running event in that part of the world,” said Gebrselassie.
“I’m looking forward to racing the 10km but I am equally excited by the opportunity to help out the local running community with the various training runs and clinics I plan to host. I’ve been told there is a vibrant running scene in Singapore and I can’t wait to experience it for myself.”
High temperatures and humidity are on the forecast again this weekend so the winning times aren’t likely to be particularly quick, particularly in the marathons which were won last year in 2:15:00 and 2:41:12 respectively.
Reigning champion Luke Chelimo Luke Kibet, who won the world title in 2007 in similar conditions, are among the top names in the men’s race while Ethiopia’s Netsanet Achamo and Russian veteran Albina Mayorova are among the favourites for the women’s title on Sunday.
Source: worldrunning.com
