The 39-year-old Ethiopian came within just two seconds of Eliud Kipchoge's current men's world record of two hours, one minute and 39 seconds when he won the 2019 Berlin Marathon, the last time the race was held in Germany's capital due to the pandemic.
BERLIN - Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele has vowed to attack the men's world marathon record in Berlin on Sunday, just nine months after recovering from COVID-19.
Despite catching the coronavirus at the start of the year, Bekele says he is now in peak condition and ready to attack his 2019 personal best marathon time of 2:01:41, as well as the world record, on Sunday. "I am very happy to come here again after COVID. It has been a really tough time for me," Bekele said.In the absence of Kenya's Kipchoge, who won the Olympic title in Japan in August, Bekele leads a strong field as he attempts to win the Berlin title for the third time after his 2016 and 2019 triumphs.
Sunday's race is the first of the world's six major marathons to take place with a mass start since the pandemic.
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