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Olympic Running Events (XI): Marathon with Paul Tergat
One of Tergat’s main rivals will be Sammy Korir, who finshed just one second behind Tergat in Berlin last year.
2004-08-18
THE SITUATIONThe fastest marathon runner of all times will be the big favourite in
Athens: Paul Tergat. The Kenyan achieved a dream time in last year’s
real,- BERLIN MARATHON:
He won in a new world record of 2:04:55 and became the first marathoner
to break 2:05. But in an Olympic marathon race everything is possible.
Especially if you take into account the extreme conditions. It will be very hot
when the race will start at 6 pm. Additionally the profile of the course is
hilly.
One of Tergat’s main rivals will be Sammy Korir
It will be impossible to run top times in this marathon, which will start in
Marathon as back in 1896. The route will be similar to the one used during the
first Olympics. One of Tergat’s main rivals will be Sammy Korir, who
finshed just one second behind Tergat in Berlin last year.
World Champion Jaouad Gharib (Marocco) is another runner to watch. In contrast
Gezahegne Abera (Ethiopia) had to withdraw from the race shortly. The Olympic
Champion of 2000 still suffers of problems with his Achilles tendon. Because of
injury problems Khalid Khannouchi (USA) was not able to qualify for
Athens.
Two more top contenders are not running in Athens: Kenyan Felix Limo won this
year’s Rotterdam Marathon in 2:06:14 while another Kenyan, Evans Rutto,
triumphed in London with 2:06:18 despite a bad fall. He beat Sammy Korir. Still
the Kenyan federation did not nominate one of the two leading marathon runners
of this year. This could of course help Paul Tergat.
PAUL TERGAT – HIS FINAL CHANCE
This was his first marathon win and now he would like to add his first Olympic gold. Paul Tergat had been World Cross Country Champion five times in a row in the 90ies. But later he became prominent as the big rival of Haile Gebrselassie. Once he had broken the 10,000 m world record of the Ethiopian, but Gebrselassie got the record back. And whenever there was a big final the winner was Gebrselassie. And Tergat had to be content with silver. In the 10,000 m final of the Olympics 2000 it was very close. “I absolutely respect Paul Tergat – he had been really unlucky in Sydney, because it was so close”, Haile Gebrselassie said.
Marathon debut in London in 2001
After these Olympics Paul Tergat changed his event. He then ran his marathon
debut in London in 2001, finishing second. A year later he beat Haile
Gebrselassie in London, but again was only second. Khalid Khannouchi (USA)
broke the world record with a time of 2:05:38. Tergat, who also holds the half
marathon world record of 59:17 minutes, reached the finish just ten seconds
behind Khannouchi. But finally he triumphed in Berlin 2003.
Paul Tergat had started running at a late stage. After having played Basketball in former years he started running seriously only after school. “It was not before I joined the air force at the age of 19 when I started my real training.” So in contrast to many of the Kenyan world class athletes running to school played no part in his development. “My way to school did not matter because I lived just 400 metres away from it. So I did not run 10 k to school and back like other pupils.” Still there was an interest in running when Paul Tergat was young. “I admired our great Kenyan runners, like John Ngugi, Moses Tanui or Paul Kipkoech. They were a great inspiration for me“, Paul Tergat explained.
Paul Tergat’s Marathon Races:
2nd London 2001 2:08:15
2nd Chicago 2001 2:08:56
2nd London 2002 2:05:48
4th Chicago 2002 2:06:18
4th London 2003 2:07:59
1st Berlin 2003 2:04:55
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