byLarry Eder
Thursday October 10, for immediate use
Tsegay Adhane aims to make up for missing out on a medal in Moscow
Yemane Tsegay Adhane, the fastest man in the field of the 2013 De Lage Landen Marathon Eindhoven, made his intentions clear about wants to achieve in Sunday’s race when he spoke at Thursday’s press conference.
“I want to achieve a course record, I think I can run under it whether it is 2:05 or 2:04,” said the 28-year-old Ethiopian who was the sixth fastest man in the world last year and ranks 13th on the all-time list on a standard course.
Kenya’s Dickson Chumba ran the current Marathon Eindhoven course record of 2:05:46 12 months ago
“My preparations have god well and I am in the same shape, maybe better, than when I ran my personal best of 2:04:48 in Rotterdam last year. This is the first race since then that I have been able to prepare properly for,” he added, in almost fluent English.
After his run in the Rotterdam Marathon almost 18 months ago, he failed to finish the Frankfurt Marathon last autumn and then finished eighth at this summer’s IAAF World Championships in Moscow.
“I was unhappy with my result at the World Championships. If I had prepared properly I think I could have got a medal.
“I had been training well for the World Championships as part of a group but then my federation told me I was not selected. I changed my training and focussed on an autumn marathon; then, two weeks before I left for Moscow, the federation told me I was to go to the World Championships.
“After I got back from Moscow, I took two weeks off but since then I have been concentrating on this race.
“When you look at how I ran in Rotterdam last year, I think I can improve more. I ran 25km in 1:13 (1:13.01) and then 30km in 1:27 something (1:27:41), I was faster than when Wilson Kipang set the world record in Berlin two weeks ago.
“In Rotterdam, after 37km, I got slower and slower. After the race, I was just happy to have won and set a personal best but now I know I am capable of much more,” he added.
At the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon, he ended a 13-year winning streak by runners from neighbouring Kenyan and Tsegay Adhane is aware that Kenyans have won in Eindhoven for the last 14 years.
“I made some history in Rotterdam and I can do it again here,” commented Tsegay Adhane, gently throwing down the gauntlet to the 13 elite runners in Eindhoven from further south along the Rift Valley.
Tsegay Adhane’s compatriot Bazu Worku, with a best of 2:05:25 at the 2010 Berlin Marathon, was also at Thursday’s press conference.
Now 23, Worku is looking to regain his place in the spotlight after a challenging two years following his sensational emergence as a world class marathon runner in 2009 and 2010.
“I was injured in 2011, I had hamstring problems, and I did not finish the World Championships in 2012. I ran 2:07 (2:07:48) at the Dubal Marathon last year but then changed my coach. Now, I feel all those problems are behind me,” said Worku.
“I’m training with the runner who won the Dubai and Boston marathons earlier this year (Lelisa Desisa, who also took the silver medal at the 2913 World Championships) so I know how well I am running.”
A late withdrawal from the 2013 De Lage Landen Marathon Eindhoven, the 30th edition of the famous Dutch race, is Kenya’s Nathaniel Kipkosgei.
Kipkosgei, who has a personal best of 2:06:28 when he finished second in Eindhoven on his marathon debut two years ago, and his coach have decided that his recent training was not good enough to make him competitive for a high placing and capable of a fast time.
The De Lage Landen Marathon Eindhoven, which this year incorporates the Dutch championship, is one of just five races in the Dutch city on 13 October.
There is also a half marathon (which incorporates the De Lage Landen Company Run), the Dela 4×10.5km marathon relay, the IAK 5km City Run and Trudo 2.5km Mini Marathon.
For more information about the Marathon Eindhoven (in Dutch and English) the website of the event is: http://www.marathoneindhoven.nl
