Marathon: Epis and Yaremchuk 2′ and 18′ from the Italian record, Kiptum and Hassan show

From Hamburg to London, a great Sunday of international marathons. Even in a blue key. Giovanna Epis, in the German round, with 2h23’46” (sixth), remains just two seconds behind the Italian record set by Valeria Straneo (Rotterdam 2012). And Sofia Yaremchuk, on the English roads (47,000 participants), where the show is of the highest level as usual, is ninth in 2h24’02”. The winners, with two extraordinary races, are the Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum in 2h01’27”, second man ever at 18″ from the world record of Eliud Kipchoge and the Dutch debutant Sifan Hassan, reigning Olympic champion of 5000 and 10,000, in 2h18’34”.

Epis and Yaremchuk

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The 34-year-old carabiniere, a Venetian transplanted to Legnano, surpasses herself once again, hitting the tenth personal goal on the distance in eight years. And she is also a bit unlucky: in December, in Valencia, she had missed the record by 10”… But Giorgio Rondelli’s pupil (1h11’21” at the half time and a somewhat uphill finish, albeit in a comeback, with a partial of 17’25” between the 35th and 40th km) – in the middle of a seven-week meeting at high altitude in Iten, Kenya – confirms that it has entered a truly international dimension. The next appointment is the World Championships in Budapest: with the aim, of course, on the Italian record and a prestigious placement. In Hamburg, meanwhile, the winners are the Kenyans Bernard Joech (35 years old) in 2h04’09” and Dorcas Tuitoek in 2h20’09”. Even Yaremchuch, in London, cradles the dream of national primacy: the Ukrainian citizen of Italy since January 2021 based in Rome where she is coached by Fabio Martelli, 29-year-old Army standard bearer, passes halfway through the race in 1h11’15 “. Then she, in turn, pays off the finish a little. But she fully redeems the training camp three weeks ago in Milan and improves on last October’s personal best in Frankfurt by a good 1’35 “, placing herself in fifth place on the national all-time list, 18” from Straneo’s record. For her too, now, the next goal is the World Cup in Budapest.

Kiptum

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Something like this had never been seen before: Kiptum, who made his marathon debut in Valencia in December, imposing himself with a sensational 2h01’53”, third man all-time, after a transition to half time in 1h01’40”, covers the second half race in 59’45”! The “primacy” of the negative-split, moreover, already belonged to him: in Spain he was “returned” in 1h00’15 “. Astounding. His attack at the 30th km mark was as violent as it was irresistible. The leading group, made up of six athletes, fell apart at that point. The finale of the 23-year-old Kenyan was all in crescendo, with a real final sprint and a penultimate corner taken even with a line error. In the ranking of all-time marathon runners, he surpasses Kenenisa Bekele (retired) in second place and approaches Kipchoge, from whom he subtracts the primacy of the race (2h02’37”). Could the legend of Eliud be in its closing pages? The heir is ready. Far behind Kiptum are fellow countryman Geoffrey Kamworor (2h04’23”) and Ethiopian Tamirat Tola (2h04’59”). Mo Farah, at 40 and in the last marathon of his career, is ninth in 2h10’27”.

Hassan

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The women’s race featured perhaps the best cast ever. And from the bunch of great protagonists comes a name certainly not expected at these levels: that of Hassan, Dutch of Ethiopian origins (she arrived in Europe as a refugee in 2008). Sifan, around the 19th km, has to leave the group of eight in the lead: she touches the area between the quadriceps and the left hip several times, stops for a few seconds on two occasions. She resumes, but it seems doomed. At the 25th km she accuses a delay of 28 ”. Then begins a stunning comeback. Which ends at the 37th km when four are left in front: the Kenyan Jepchirchir (Olympic champion) and Chepkirui and the Ethiopian Yehealew (winner in 2022) and Megertu. It is the latter, one km from the end, to attack. Hassan and Jepchirchir resist. The Dutchman, taking advantage of her miler skills (she boasts 1’56 ”81 in the 800m and was world champion of the 1500m in 2019), has the winning leg. She closes, in fact, in 2h18’34 “, with Megertu at 4” and Jepchirchir at 5 “. Fourth is then Sheila Chepkirui (2h18’51”). A day to remember.