Ethiopia announces provisional marathon team for Beijing

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Boston Marathon winner Lelisa Desisa and London Marathon champion Tigist Tufa are among the nine runners named on the provisional Ethiopian team for the IAAF World Championships.

Nine runners have been named on the provisional Ethiopian marathon team for the IAAF World Championships in Beijing this August.

The men’s squad is helmed by Lelisa Desisa, who finished second to Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow.

Desisa is the fastest of the quintet with a 2:04:45 debut from the Dubai Marathon. He won his second Boston Marathon title in April and finished a close second to Wilson Kipsang in the New York Marathon last November.

Aside from a DNF in Boston last year, Desisa has never finished outside the top two in a marathon to date.

Desisa is joined on the provisional team by Yemane Adhane, who took second in Boston. The oldest of the quintet aged 30, Adhane finished fourth and eighth at the 2009 and 2013 World Championships respectively.

Tokyo Marathon and Dubai Marathon winners Endashaw Negesse and Lemi Berhanu have also been provisionally named on the team along with Tilahun Regassa, who finished fifth in the London Marathon in April.

The standout name in the women’s team is London Marathon winner Tigist Tufa.

She is joined by Berlin Marathon winner Tirfe Tsegaye, Tokyo Marathon winner Birhane Dibaba and Chicago Marathon winner Mare Dibaba, who also won the Xiamen Marathon this January in a world-leading 2:19:52.

Men:

Lelisa Desisa (PB 2:04:45)

Yemane Adhane (2:04:48)

Endashaw Negesse (2:04:52)

Tilahun Regassa (2:05:27)

Lemi Berhanu (2:05:28)

Women:

Mare Dibaba (2:19:52)

Tirfe Tsegaye (2:20:18)

Tigist Tufa (2:21:52)

Birhane Dibaba (2:22:30)

Source: WorldRunning.com