Tamirat Tola feels a carefully planned build-up will give him every chance of adding the London Marathon title to his success in New York.
The 32-year-old Ethiopian – world champion from 2022 in Oregon – clocked a new course record of two hours, four minutes and 58 seconds when he won in Manhattan during November last year.
Tola hopes his meticulous preparations will allow him to again hit top form as he aims to be the first over the finish line on the Mall on Sunday afternoon, having come third last year.
“(Winning in) London is not easy, but I worked hard to win New York and my training has all been OK since then, so I am ready,” said Tola, who also took the 2023 Great North Run title.
“Everything is good with what my coaches have prepared for me to win, so we can hope for a good result on Sunday.”
The late Kelvin Kiptum, who was killed in a car accident in February at the age of 24, set a new London Marathon record with victory last year.
While that mark of 2hrs 1min and 25secs is unlikely to be tested on Sunday, Tola is still confident of a swift pace.
“If we go together to help each other, then we will run with a better time,” Tola said.
“It depends on a pacemaker, but it is OK for me to go fast, and if it is a normal (pace) then that is also OK for me.”
Emile Cairess will lead Britain’s hopes in the elite men’s race, having finished sixth on his debut last year.
Cairess is aiming to better the Olympic qualifying mark to join training partner Phil Sesemann in the Team GB squad for Paris.
View this post on Instagram
The 26-year-old, though, also has one eye on a long-term target of breaking Sir Mo Farah’s six-year-old British marathon record, which was set in Chicago.
“I have a time in my head. I will be trying to run maybe about three-minute kilometres,” Cairess said.
“Mo’s British record is something I definitely want to beat in the near future, but I am not looking at that this weekend.”
Scottish marathon record-holder Callum Hawkins will make his return in London following a number of injury setbacks, which included ankle surgery after the Tokyo Olympics.
Marc Scott, winner of the Great North Run in 2021, is set for a marathon debut, along with Mahamed Mahamed.
In the elite women’s race, world record holder Tigst Assefa hopes to produce a new women’s-only best time.
“I was very happy in breaking the world record. Also I got a lot of praise and encouragement from people around me afterwards, that was very important for me,” said Assefa, who will compete in her first London Marathon.
“My training has gone really well and I have done all the training that has been set by my coach. I feel I am ready for the race on Sunday.”
British athletes Becky Briggs and Alice Wright will also be in the elite field, along with Anya Culling, Rachel Hodgkinson, Helen Gaunt, Mhairi Maclennan and Lucy Reid.
David Weir will make his 25th consecutive London Marathon appearance, which he last won in 2018, with Switzerland’s Marcel Hug again the man to beat in the elite men’s wheelchair race.
Weir, 44, changed to a carbon fibre chair this winter, and finished third at the Boston Marathon on April 15.
“Hopefully I can get another one (London Marathon victory). Maybe not on Sunday, we will see,” he said. “It depends on that machine down there to be honest.”
Defending champion Lyssons hold the lead heading into final day of INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary School Eastern Championships
Defending champion Lyssons Primary of St Thomas have established a 19-point lead after 11 finals heading into the final day of the INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Athletics Eastern Championships.
Lyssons, hunting their third straight title, raced to 86 points, with St Andrew’s Harbour View on 67 sitting in second and Rosseau Primary of Kingston in third on 49 points with a lot of catching up to do. Half-Way Tree Primary on 40, and Windward Road with 37 complete the top five.
Lyssons won four of the 11 finals with Kristina Bailey capturing the Girls’ High Jump Open with a leap of 1.45m, the same as second-placed Shaniel White of Windward Road. Cataleah Fitten of John Mills was third with 1.39m.
They also won three of the eight relays starting with the Girls Class I 4x100 relay in a record 52.36 seconds. Lessons also won the Boys’ Class Two 4x100 in 54.12 and the Girls’ Class 4 4x100 in 1:02.13.
Harbour View’s Vanessa Melbourne won the first final of the meet throwing 37.35m to win the Girls’ Cricketball Open. Harbour View also won Boys’ Class Four 4x100 relay in 1:01.31.
Half Way Tree Primary won two relays capturing the Girls Class Three 4x100 relay in record fashion clocking 55.49 and the Girls’ Class Two 4x100 in 53.90.
Windward Road were also in record-breaking form winning the Boys’ Class Three relay in 55.04 ahead of Harbour View with 55.53.
Rosseau Primary erased the Boys’ Class One 4x100 record of 51.94 lowering it to 50.54, the same time as second-placed Lyssons. St Richards were third in 51.12.
There will be 29 finals on the third and last day starting with the Girls’ long Jump Open at 9:00 am and concluding with the 4x200m relays at 3:30 pm.
Records tumble at INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Eastern Championship opening day
The Stadium East facility witnessed a spectacular display of talent on the opening day of the INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Eastern Championship, with five records falling before the close of competition.
Mickoloy Saunders from Lyssons Primary set the tone by shattering the boys' 800m record, clocking an impressive 2:35.94. This performance surpassed the previous mark of 2:39.83 set by his schoolmate Yohance Carty last year. Camron Fraser of Lawrence Tavern also made waves, finishing second in the heat with a time of 2:28.37, which was under the previous record.
Romeann Gray of Seaside Primary in Portland continued the record-breaking spree in the girls' 800m, storming to victory in 2:31.51, well below the old record of 2:36.57. Deanakay Pinnock of St Patrick’s was another standout, clocking 2:42.90 in winning her heat.
Lyssons Primary showcased their dominance by breaking records in both the girls' and boys' 4x200m relays. The girls' team blazed to victory in 1:50.74, erasing Harbour View's 2023 record of 1:54.87. Meanwhile, the boys' team set a scorching time of 1:45.80, demolishing the old mark of 1:51.80 set by St Jude’s last year.
Adding to the record-breaking spree, Shemika Dobbs of Windward Road clinched the girls' Class 4 60m in a swift 9.17 seconds, eclipsing the previous record set by Sunjai KirkPatrick of Alpha.
The championship continues on Thursday with ten finals scheduled. Defending champions St Thomas’ Lyssons Primary are poised for success, having qualified numerous athletes for the finals and showcasing exceptional form early in the competition.
Still alive: Bolt pleased with Ja's male sprinting resurgence; hopeful Seville will medal in "wide open" men's 100m in Paris
Take it from the incomparable Usain Bolt that the race for the men’s 100m title at this summer’s Paris Olympic Games will be wide open, as he is yet to identify any clear favourite to stake a claim on the coveted gold medal.
Bolt, whose words carries the weight of his unparalleled legacy, gave his views on the possible Olympic outcome, as he also shared thoughts on the progress of male sprinting in Jamaica, which he believes remains alive with the emergence of Rohan Watson, Oblique Seville, Ackeem Blake, Ryiem Forde, and Kadrian Goldson, in particular.
Seville has been the main protagonist on that list, as he has consistently knocked at the door of a global 100m medal over the years. He placed fourth at both the 2020 Olympic Games and last year’s World Championships.
The 23-year-old’s rise from promising newcomer to bona fide contender has captured the imagination of Jamaican track and field enthusiasts at home and abroad. With blistering speed and unwavering determination, Seville has carved out a name for himself as one of Jamaica's most promising talents, and along with the others, carries the hopes of a nation known for its sprinting prowess.
“I think these athletes represent our chances, but it is all about execution. I think over the past years, it (Jamaica’s male sprinting) has been struggling, but I do think that Oblique has been keeping it alive,” Bolt, the ambassador for Red Stripe’s ‘Guh Fi Gold and Glory’ campaign, told journalists during the event’s launch in Half Way Tree on Wednesday.
“He has made all the finals so far; it is just for him to now get in the top three. And I think it's just consistency. I think the one thing with Oblique is that he always gets injured, but hopefully he can be consistent this season and stay on the right path and he'll be fine. So, I'm just looking forward to seeing them,” the iconic sprinter added.
Though American Noah Lyles, who copped the sprint double at last year's World Championships, has been a dominant force, his compatriots Fred Kerly, silver medallist at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, and Christian Coleman are also prominent contenders, while the young generation of Jamaican sprinters –Watson, Seville, Blake, and Goldson –have also entered the conversation.
Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, and Botswana's Letsile Tebogo, are also expected to be in the mix in Paris, while Italy’s Marcell Jacobs and Canada’s Andre De Grasse, the gold and bronze medallists from the 2020 Games in Tokyo, are yet to enter the fray ahead of the global multi-sport showpiece.
While it is still early days yet, Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medallist and the world’s fastest man over 100m and 200m, expressed optimism about Seville’s Olympic Games medal prospects, as he believes the young sensation has proven that he can match strides with those names on the list.
“Let's see what happens. I think it's early. No one is doing anything, and I haven't seen anything impressive so far. So, I think it is still wide open. I am really hoping Oblique can break into the top three this time around. I think he has always worked hard over the years, and he is always in the final and always doing well. So hopefully, he will break into the top three,” Bolt said.
On that note, Bolt, who is looking forward to a second Olympic Games as a spectator since his retirement in 2017, believes the athletes stand ready to write the next chapter in the country’s storied history of success.
“Overall, we all have high hopes. The throwers, jumpers, everybody. Everyone is doing well, and you can see where they are stepping up. The medal tally will be good as always. Jamaica always shows up. We always get at least five medals, and I think we are aiming to get eight to 10 medals in Paris,” he shared.
“I think the athletes will (maintain their performance). Jamaica is always up there. We are still the sprint capital of the world, and I think we will continue to dominate,” Bolt ended.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
