Tirunesh Dibaba to make marathon debut in London

LONDON (Reuters) – Multi-world and Olympic 5,000 and 10,000 meters champion Tirunesh Dibaba, arguably the greatest women’s distance runner of all time, will make her marathon debut in London in April, race organizers said on Friday.

Fellow Ethiopian and 2012 Olympic women’s marathon champion Tiki Gelana and runner up Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya will also return to the city’s streets alongside a men’s field that boasts no fewer than 11 athletes who have run under two hours, six minutes, but all eyes will be on Dibaba.

The 27-year-old boasts four world titles on the track at 5,000 and 10,000m, three Olympic golds including her second 10,000 in London last year, and four world cross country titles.

She ran her first half-marathon in Britain’s Great North Run last September and after a conservative approach in rainy conditions, duly blasted through a high class field in the last mile to win in an impressive 67.35 minutes.

All three men’s medalists from the 2012 Olympics will also return to the British capital.

Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich, the surprise winner of the Olympic marathon in front of astonishing crowds five months ago, faces a stern test from a lineup that also includes the winners of last year’s London, Berlin, Chicago, Frankfurt and Dubai marathons.

It is a men’s elite field that organizers rightly describe as the best ever assembled. Read more