(PHOTO: photorun.net) 24 hours after he had stood on the startline of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, Kenenisa Bekele reflected on the dramatic events of Sunday’s race where he trailed in third with a time of 2:06:47, albeit set in hot and humid conditions. After pre-race talk of high hopes for an attack on Eliud Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:39, set on this same Berlin course in 2018, the Ethiopian’s career appeared to be in the balance and not for the first time given his age and injury record. But at 39 he is adamant that his potential for future success is realistic. Right after the race Kenenisa Bekele admitted that „for me the big problem was a lack of training because of the pandemic“. The Ethiopian also said that he caught Covid earlier this year. But he had no strong symptoms and recovered well.

Ethiopians Guye Adola and debutant Gotytom Gebreslase won the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in unusually warm weather conditions. 30 year-old Adola, who was second in Berlin four years ago, clocked 2:05:45. While Bethwel Yegon of Kenya took second place at Brandenburg Gate in 2:06:14 it was not the day of Kenenisa Bekele.

(photo: photorun.net) No doubt about who carried off the top honours in the BMW Berlin-Marathon on Sunday since Ethiopians won the men’s and women’s title. It was, however, a day of disappointment for Kenenisa Bekele by his own superlative standards. Guye Adola won the men’s crown, running 2:05:45 to finish ahead of Kenyan Bethwel Yegon, the latter clocking 2:06:14 at the finish line near the Brandenburg Gate. As for Kenenisa Bekele, his hopes of challenging the world record, set on this same course by his Kenyan rival Eliud Kipchoge in 2018 with 2:01:39, faded in increasingly warm and humid conditions. Ethiopia’s triple Olympic champion finished third in 2:06:47. The best German finisher was Philipp Pflieger who ran 2:15:01 for 16th place.

(photo photorun.net) The women’s race at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on Sunday is looking increasingly like an attack on the course record. The best time to date was set three years ago when the Kenyan Gladys Cherono ran 2:18:11. Half-a-dozen women will be on the start line who have run under 2:25 and among them is the Ethiopian Hiwot Gebrekidan, the fastest women in the world this year thanks to her personal best of 2:19:35 in winning the Milan title in April. She will be making her debut in the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series of which the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is a part.