It was probably just as well that Paul Tergat gave a few wary glances over his right shoulder after passing through the Brandenburg Gate on the morning of 28 September 2003. Had the great Kenyan king of cross country not seen Sammy Korir stealing up on the outside, he might not have claimed his place in the history books as the first man to break the 2:05 barrier in the marathon.
As it was, having lost two or three metres while momentarily veering off course at the iconic Berlin landmark, Tergat was able to resist a late charge by his compatriot and break the tape at the finish line in 2:04:55. Korir was just a second behind in 2:04:56, but it was Tergat who took the landmark honour.
Fittingly so.
On the country, the Kenyan Air Force sergeant might have reigned supreme, with his five successive world titles from 1995 to 1999, but on the track he could never quite escape the shadow of Haile Gebrselassie. Twice at the World Championships and twice at the Olympic Games, he had to settle for 10,000m silver behind his Ethiopian nemesis &ndash; missing out by a tantalising 0.09 in a titanic tussle at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Finally, in Berlin in 2003, it was Tergat&rsquo;s turn to secure a place among the all-time greats of the distance running game. At the age of 34, after five failed attempts to translate the world-beating road form he had produced in his world half marathon victories in Palermo in 1999 and Veracruz in 2000 into success at the full marathon distance, he had not just a major victory but a boundary-breaching one.
<h2>Staying focused</h2>
Fifty years after the English optician Jim Peters broke the 2:20 mark in a pair of Woolworth plimsolls, running 2:18:40.4 in the classic Polytechnic Harriers Marathon from Windsor to Chiswick in the western suburbs of London, Tergat had pushed the limit of speed endurance at the 26.2 mile/42km distance below 2:05. In doing so, the statuesque Kenyan averaged 4:46 per mile and 2:57 per kilometre.
&ldquo;I always said that my time in the marathon would come if I stay focused,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I knew that I would be able to break the marathon world record one day.&rdquo;
The previous record, 2:05:38, had been set in London in 2002 by Khalid Khannouchi of the USA &ndash; in a race in which Tergat managed to get the better of Gebrselassie. Tergat finished runner up in 2:05:48. Gebrselassie, in his debut marathon, was third in 2:06:35.
That was Tergat&rsquo;s third marathon, and third second-placing. He made his debut in London the previous year, in April 2001, finishing runner up to Moroccan Abdelkader El Mouaziz (2:07:11) in 2:08:15. Then, in Chicago six months later, he finished behind fellow Kenyan Ben Kimondiu (2:08:52) in 2:08:56.
His advance to 2:05:48 in London in April 2002 hinted at a major breakthrough but then followed two steps in a backward direction: fourth place in the 2002 Chicago race in 2:06:18, and fourth again in London in April 2003 in 2:07:59.
<h2>'We decided to go for the world record'</h2>
With his 35th birthday approaching, Tergat took advantage of perfect weather conditions (with the temperature between 9 and 16 degrees Celsius and no wind) to make his mark in Berlin. The pace making provided by his compatriots and training partners Sammy Korir and Titus Munji was vital, too.
All three Kenyans were coached and managed by the Italian marathon and sports physiology guru Gabriele Rosa. They reached halfway in 63:01 and were accompanied through 25km (1:14.42) by their compatriot Raymond Kipkoech, though the 2002 Berlin winner faded when Tergat hit the front and pushed the pace for the first time, eventually finishing fifth in 2:06:47.
Passing 30km in 1:29:24 and 35km in 1:43:59, Tergat, Korir and Munji were still together. Then, at 36km, Korir injected a surge that dropped Munji, who proceeded to finish a detached third in 2:06:15.
Tergat made his decisive move with 1km to go, keeping enough in reserve to resist Korir&rsquo;s late rally.
&ldquo;I have to thank Sammy and Titus,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They have helped me to achieve this world record.
&ldquo;In the morning, when it was clear we would have perfect weather conditions, we decided to go for the world record. Although they were the pacemakers, I expected that they would run the whole race.
&ldquo;I also want to thank my wife, my manager, and the organisers, who all supported me to make this possible. There was great support from the spectators too. That helped a lot.
&ldquo;I think today we got the maximum result that was possible for us. In the future, I might perhaps be able to run something like 2:04:30. But I don&rsquo;t expect to be able to run a 2:03 marathon.&rdquo;
<h2>Gebrselassie - friend and nemesis</h2>
It was not the first time that Paul Kibii Tergat had run his way into the world record book. In August 1997 he had the satisfaction of eclipsing Gebrselassie&rsquo;s six-week-old 10,000m record, becoming the first man to crack 26:30 with 26:27.85 at the Ivo Van Damme Memorial in Brussels. The following June, Gebrselassie regained the world record, clocking 26:22.75 at the Fanny Blankers Koen Games in Hengelo.
As on the track, it was Gebrselassie who eclipsed Tergat&rsquo;s global mark on the road.
After running 2:04:26 in Berlin in 2007, the Ethiopian could be overheard offering an apology while receiving a congratulatory telephone call. &ldquo;It was my friend Paul Tergat,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I am sorry to break his record. I am sorry because this record belonged to him.&rdquo;
Gebrselassie proceeded to run a 2:03 marathon, reducing the world record to 2:03:39 in Berlin in 2008.
Tergat never managed to improve on his 2:04:55. His last Marathon Majors victory came in New York in 2005, the five-time world cross country champion prevailing in 2:09:29.90 after a thrilling sprint finish though Central Park with defending champion Hendrik Ramaala of South Africa.
Now 54, Tergat runs a foundation to help disadvantaged sportspeople in his homeland. For the past decade he has continued to hold an influential role on the global sporting stage as a member of the International Olympic Committee.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage

Running 2:04:55 in Berlin, Paul Tergat became the first to break the 2:05 barrier in the marathon

Two decades since Tergat became the first to go sub 2:05

World Athletics is looking for a first and second line support engineer.
General overview of the position:
<ul>
<li>Support and operate the World Athletics Office 365 environment, as well as its underlying network infrastructure.</li>
<li>End user support for the HQ staff working on site and remotely.</li>
<li>Run processes and standards around security, IT operations, staff on boarding and off boarding.</li>
<li>Liaison with infrastructure vendors to ensure smooth and efficient service for users and business applications.</li>
</ul>
World Athletics is based in Monaco and has a staff of 97 representing 26 different nationalities.
Job description: <a href="https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=82d07d2e-22f7-4d8d-aa61-73ed75f4f2de.pdf&amp;urlSlug=first-and-second-line-support-engineer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">English</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=ffbba89c-d9b0-44e4-b5f6-56205aed586e.pdf&amp;urlSlug=ingenieur-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fran&ccedil;ais</a>
To apply, candidates should send the following in English to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:emploi@worldathletics.org">emploi@worldathletics.org</a>&nbsp;before 27 October 2023:
&bull; Letter of application, highlighting your interest in the post and your relevant experience &bull; Up-to-date curriculum vitae &bull; Details of current remuneration &bull; Names and contact details for three referees (referees will not be contacted until final interview stage)

World Athletics is looking for a support engineer

Job vacancy: First and second line support engineer

<a href="#FR" data-cke-saved-href="#FR">fran&ccedil;ais</a>
The World Athletics Council has awarded the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships &ndash; which will be held on 30 March &ndash; to Belgrade, Serbia.
After successfully hosting the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships, Belgrade will now host a second World Athletics Series event in two years.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: &ldquo;Belgrade is establishing itself as a reliable host of world class competitions. Following a memorable 2022 World Indoor Championships we are confident that the organisation of our 2024 World Cross Country Championships is in a safe pair of hands.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Belgrade has staged several major track and field events over the years &ndash; including the 1962 European Championships, 2013 European Cross Country Championships, 2017 European Indoor Championships and the 2017 Balkan Championships.&nbsp;
The 2024 World Cross Country Championships will be held in the Park of Friendship, next to the Danube River in the heart of Belgrade, which was also the site of the 2013 European Championships.&nbsp;
Additionally, the Council has approved the dates for the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, OR (USA), which will be held on 4-9 August 2026, and for the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen (DEN), to be held on 19-20 September 2026.&nbsp;
World Athletics 
<a name="FR"></a>&nbsp;
<h2>Le Conseil de World Athletics attribue l&rsquo;&eacute;dition 2024 des Championnats du monde de cross-country &agrave; la Serbie</h2>
Le Conseil de World Athletics a choisi Belgrade, en Serbie, comme lieu d&rsquo;accueil des Championnats du monde de cross-country en 2024, pr&eacute;vus pour le 30 mars.
Apr&egrave;s avoir accueilli avec succ&egrave;s les Championnats du monde en salle 2022, Belgrade accueillera une deuxi&egrave;me comp&eacute;tition de la S&eacute;rie mondiale en deux ans.&nbsp;
Le pr&eacute;sident de World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, a d&eacute;clar&eacute; : &laquo;&thinsp;Belgrade est en train de s&rsquo;imposer comme un h&ocirc;te fiable de comp&eacute;titions de niveau mondial, comme en t&eacute;moigne le succ&egrave;s des Championnats du monde en salle de 2022. Nous sommes convaincus que l&rsquo;organisation des Championnats du monde de cross-country de 2024 est entre de bonnes mains.&thinsp;&raquo;
Belgrade a accueilli plusieurs grands &eacute;v&eacute;nements d&rsquo;athl&eacute;tisme au fil des ans, notamment les Championnats d&rsquo;Europe de 1962, les Championnats d&rsquo;Europe de cross-country de 2013, les Championnats d&rsquo;Europe en salle de 2017 et les Championnats des Balkans de 2017.
Les Championnats du monde de cross-country de 2024 se d&eacute;rouleront au c&oelig;ur de Belgrade, dans le Parc d&rsquo;amiti&eacute;, pr&egrave;s du Danube, qui avait d&eacute;j&agrave; accueilli les Championnats d&rsquo;Europe de cross-country en 2013.
En plus de cette annonce, le Conseil a &eacute;galement approuv&eacute; les dates des Championnats du monde U20 qui auront lieu &agrave; Eugene, Oregon, aux &Eacute;tats-Unis, du 4 au 9 ao&ucirc;t 2026, ainsi que les dates des Championnats du monde de course sur route &agrave; Copenhague, au Danemark, du 19 au 20 septembre 2026.
World Athletics

The World Athletics Council has awarded the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships – which will be held on 30 March – to Belgrade, Serbia

World Athletics awards 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships to Serbia

Dafne Schippers, who won two world 200m titles and multiple other major medals during a highly successful sprinting and combined events career, has announced her retirement.
Along with her world crowns in 2015 and 2017, the Dutch 31-year-old claimed Olympic silver in 2016 and four other senior world medals &ndash; heptathlon bronze in 2013, 100m silver in 2015, indoor 60m silver in 2016 and 100m bronze in 2017.
&ldquo;The race stops here,&rdquo; Schippers wrote in a post on Instagram on Tuesday (26). &ldquo;As an athlete, you always know this day will come, that at one point, your career will be a moment in time &ndash; a collection of memories and hopefully medals.&rdquo;
Schippers started her athletics career in the heptathlon and won her first global gold medal in the seven-discipline event, scoring a personal best of 5967 points to claim the 2010 world U20 title in Moncton. That came a year after she finished fourth as a 17-year-old at the European U20 Championships in Novi Sad and she went on to win the U20 continental crown in Tallinn in 2011.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/651313ed6b63c3672764015f.jpg" alt="Dafne Schippers at the 2010 World U20 Championships" />
Dafne Schippers at the 2010 World U20 Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
She broke the Dutch 200m record for the first time at that year&rsquo;s World Championships in Daegu, clocking 22.69 in the heats, and made her Olympic debut in London a year later, finishing 10th in the heptathlon.
After finishing third in the Gotzis Hypomeeting in 2013, Schippers contested the 100m and long jump at the European U23 Championships in Tampere, winning gold and bronze, respectively. She then returned to combined events action and became a senior global medallist, claiming heptathlon bronze with a score of 6477 in Moscow after running a seven-second PB in the 800m.
The course of her career would change in 2014. En route to setting a Dutch heptathlon record of 6545 for third place in that year&rsquo;s Hypomeeting, she ran 22.35 for 200m.
&ldquo;After Gotzis, I competed in a couple of sprint events and during a relay sprint I felt an unbelievably strong acceleration, which I had never felt before,&rdquo; she <a href="https://worldathletics.org/spikes/news/dafne-schippers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in 2015</a>.
&ldquo;We decided that I could try out some sprint races and experience the feeling of a sprint race at a championship. It wasn&rsquo;t an easy decision, but my coach and I both believe that this was, and still is, the right thing to do.&rdquo;
The results speak for themselves. At the European Championships in Zurich in the August she achieved an impressive sprint double, winning the 100m in 11.12 and the 200m in 22.03 &ndash; the fastest time by a European since 1995. She was named European Athlete of the Year for the first time and was among the three women&rsquo;s finalists for the World Athlete of the Year honour.
With her focus on sprinting, she won European indoor 60m gold at the start of 2015 and then stormed to the first of her two world 200m titles, clocking 21.63 in Beijing for a championship and European record that still places her sixth on the world all-time list. Four days earlier she had claimed 100m silver in another national record of 10.81.
World indoor 60m and Olympic 200m silver medals followed in 2016, as well as European 100m and 4x100m titles.
Schippers retained her world 200m title in London the following year and added another world bronze to her CV in the 100m.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/651314330b2928645dc1f742.jpg" alt="Dafne Schippers retains her world 200m title in London" />
Dafne Schippers retains her world 200m title in London (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
She claimed a medal treble at the 2018 European Championships, getting 200m silver plus 100m and 4x100m bronze, and added a European indoor 60m silver to her list of successes in 2019.
Injury affected the latter stages of her career but she still managed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics and her last race was in July 2022.
&ldquo;Today, I have decided to take my life off track to pursue and embrace whatever comes next, but not without saying a massive thank you for all the endless support,&rdquo; Schippers added in her retirement announcement. &ldquo;It has been a journey without regret.&rdquo;
World Athletics

Dafne Schippers won two world 200m titles and multiple other major medals during a highly successful sprinting and combined events career

Two-time world 200m champion Schippers retires

<h2>Men&rsquo;s 5km</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-road-running-championships/riga23/programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/road-running/5-kilometres/outdoor/men/senior/2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 world list</a>&nbsp;| <a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/road-running/5-kilometres/outdoor/men/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>
Three of the four fastest men in history clash in the 5km at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23.
Not only does Berihu Aregawi have the superior road PB, having broken the world record with his 12:49 run at the Cursa dels Nassos in Barcelona in 2021, but he also has the quickest track PB among the entries &ndash; his 12:40.45 from Lausanne in June placing him fifth on the world 5000m all-time list.
Fast times are only half of the story, however, and making this contest even more compelling is the rematches it offers.
Yomif Kejelcha is the world leader and he was just one second off his Ethiopian compatriot&rsquo;s world 5km record when he clocked 12:50 in Lille in March. He&rsquo;s also just one place below Aregawi on the world 5000m all-time list thanks to his 12:41.73 performance from Oslo. When it comes to their career head-to-head, the tally stands 6-5 in Kejelcha&rsquo;s favour, considering performances achieved from 3000m up to 10,000m.
Aregawi is the world cross country silver medallist, who finished fourth in the world and Olympic 10,000m finals, while Kejelcha is a two-time world indoor 3000m gold medallist and world indoor mile record-holder, who secured 10,000m silver at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
Then there&rsquo;s Kenya&rsquo;s Nicholas Kipkorir, the fourth fastest 5km runner of all time. He ran 12:55 in Herzogenaurach last year, finishing second in a race won by Kejelcha in 12:53, and now they prepare to battle again.
Of the 11 5km performances in history that have been 13 minutes or faster, that trio &ndash; Aregawi, Kejelcha and Kipkorir &ndash; have recorded seven of them: three by Aregawi and two each by Kejelcha and Kipkorir.
When it comes to track PBs, however, one athlete splits those three at the top of the entry list: Ethiopia&rsquo;s Olympic and world medallist Hagos Gebrhiwet. The 29-year-old won the world U20 cross country title in 2013 and claimed his first senior medal that same year, securing 5000m silver in Moscow. He then gained world bronze in 2015 and an Olympic medal of the same colour in 2016. While he finished sixth in the world final this year, he proved he&rsquo;s top form by running a 12:42.18 lifetime best to win in Monaco. He also recorded a half marathon PB of 58:55 to win what was his third career half marathon in Granollers in February.
On the Kenyan squad, 2022 world 10,000m silver medallist Stanley Waithaka Mburu and Cornelius Kemboi are entered along with Kipkorir.
Burundi&rsquo;s Egide Ntakarutimana ran 13:03.61 in a 5000m in Vienna in June and makes his 5km debut after improving his 10km best to 27:45 in Brasov last year.
Spanish record-holder Ouassim Oumaiz, who ran 13:19 in 2020, will also want to make an impact, as will USA&rsquo;s 2022 NCAA champion Olin Hacker, Norway's Magnus Tuv Myhre and Canadian 5km and 10km record-holder Ben Flanagan.
Oceanian 3000m record-holder Stewart McSweyn forms part of the Australian team in Riga and as well as a high placing, he&rsquo;ll also be looking for an improvement on his 13:53 PB as he returns to race the distance on the roads for the first time since 2017. Since then, he has taken his 5000m best to 12:56.50.
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-road-running-championships/riga23/watch-riga-23?utm_source=Editorial&amp;utm_medium=Web&amp;utm_campaign=Riga-Livestream&amp;utm_content=Editorial"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65116d42be242608a00e48cf.jpg" alt="Riga live stream" /></a>
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 5km</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-road-running-championships/riga23/programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/road-running/5-kilometres/outdoor/women/senior/2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/road-running/5-kilometres/outdoor/women/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>
There will be no easing in gently to the elite race programme in Riga, with the women&rsquo;s 5km featuring a stellar field of Olympic and world medallists on the hunt for the first of the six titles on offer in the Latvian capital.
Kenya&rsquo;s Beatrice Chebet has already claimed one global gold in 2023 and after becoming the world cross country champion in Bathurst in February, the 23-year-old now targets her second out-of-stadium title of the year.
That&rsquo;s not to say her track form is any less impressive. Chebet was second in her most recent race, but it took a world record to beat her &ndash; Gudaf Tsegay clocking 14:00.21 in the Wanda Diamond League final in Eugene to take almost five seconds off the 5000m mark that Faith Kipyegon set in Paris in June, and Chebet almost dipping underneath it too with 14:05.92 for the third-fastest performance of all time.
Prior to that, Chebet claimed her second world 5000m medal, adding bronze in Budapest to the silver she secured in Oregon.
Her 5km PB of 14:32, set when winning last year&rsquo;s Diamond League title on the streets of Zurich, also makes Chebet one of the quickest of all time. But in Riga, she&rsquo;ll be up against the fastest.
Cue Ethiopia&rsquo;s Ejgayehu Taye, the mixed race world record-holder who ran 14:19 in Barcelona on the final day of 2021, at the same event at which&nbsp;Berihu Aregawi set his world record. Unlike in Riga, where the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s races will be held separately, the event in Barcelona saw both fields start at the same time. Taye went on to take 24 seconds off the world record for the 5km in a mixed race and a year later she returned to run 14:21. The women-only world 5km record is 14:29, set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senbere Teferi in Herzogenaurach in 2021.
Since her world record performance, Taye has also become a world indoor and outdoor medallist &ndash; world indoor 3000m bronze in Belgrade followed by a world 10,000m medal of the same colour in Budapest &ndash; and she has also taken her 5000m PB to 14:12.98, making her the second fastest in the field when it comes to track times for the distance.
Taye is listed on the Ethiopian squad alongside Medina Eisa and Lemlem Hailu. World U20 cross country silver medallist Eisa ran 14:16.54 in London in July and has a 5km PB of 14:46 from April, while world indoor 3000m champion Hailu clocked 14:34.53 for 5000m in Paris in June and would be making her 5km debut.
For Kenya, Chebet will be joined by Lilian Kasait Rengeruk, the 2017 world cross country bronze medallist who won the 5000m at the Brussels Diamond League earlier this month and clocked a 14:23.05 PB when finishing fourth behind world record-breaker Kipyegon in Paris.
One of the intriguing things about road racing is that it can bring together athletes who might not usually go head to head. Uganda&rsquo;s Peruth Chemutai is better known for her exploits in the 3000m steeplechase, having won the Olympic title in the discipline in Tokyo, but she has raced Chebet once before &ndash; and beaten her.
The pair clashed in a cross country race in Hannut last year, when Chemutai pipped Chebet by 13 seconds. Now Chemutai gets ready to return to the roads, looking to build on the PB of 15:05 she set in the first of the two 5km races she has undertaken in her career so far.
Chemutai is joined in the Ugandan squad by Joy Cheptoyek and Prisca Chesang, who claimed 5000m bronze medals at the 2021 and 2022 editions of the World U20 Championships.
World and Olympic finalist Nozomi Tanaka is entered for both the 5km and the mile and she begins her campaign in Riga in the longer event, following the Japanese record of 14:29.18 she set to finish third in Brussels.
Italy&rsquo;s Nadia Battocletti &ndash; seventh in both the Olympic and European 5000m finals &ndash; will also be in action, along with USA&rsquo;s Emily Infeld and Burundi's Francine Niyomukunzi.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

World Athletics Road Running Championships

The expected highlights in the men's and women's 5km at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23

WRRC Riga 23 preview: 5km

In a year when Faith Kipyegon set three world records on the track &ndash; in the 1500m, mile, and the 5000m &ndash; it can be easy to overlook other performances.
But close behind the great Kenyan are a cadre of Ethiopian women who, despite not having gripped the event&rsquo;s attention, have accomplished some remarkable accolades while also displaying superb versatility.
Of the eight fastest women in the world this year at 1500m, five of them are Ethiopian. And three of those &ndash; Diribe Welteji, Freweyni Hailu and Hirut Meshesha &ndash; have been selected to represent Ethiopia in the road mile at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23 on 1 October.
Welteji, who earned 1500m silver behind Kipyegon at the World Championships in Budapest this year, began her career as an 800m runner. At her first ever international competition in 2018, Welteji struck gold over 800m at the World U20 Championships in Tampere.
She started to focus on the 1500m in 2021 but was chosen by the Ethiopian Athletics Federation to run the 800m at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, where she finished fourth, just missing out on a medal.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62dd1cffdd5814349c75d6ea.jpg" alt="Athing Mu and Diribe Welteji at theWorld Athletics Championships Oregon22 " />
Athing Mu and Diribe Welteji at theWorld Athletics Championships Oregon22 (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
In 2023, her focus transitioned to the 1500m, and Welteji delightfully snagged a silver medal in Budapest, running 3:55.69, behind Kipyegon. A few weeks later, at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene, she lowered her personal best, finishing second to Kipyegon again, but in a time of 3:53.93.
Just two places behind Welteji, Hailu also ended her 2023 track campaign on a high, clocking a personal best of 3:55.68. Having been selected for just the 5000m at the World Championships &ndash; an event she had contested just once before heading to Budapest &ndash; Hailu was delighted with her performance in Eugene.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/64a1e16bed689a7794e08bad.jpg" alt="Freweyni Hailu wins the 1500m in the rain in Stockholm" />
Freweyni Hailu wins the 1500m in the rain in Stockholm (&copy; Thomas Windestam / Diamond League AG)
</div>
&ldquo;All of the training in the past year was with the 1500m in mind,&rdquo; Hailu said. &ldquo;That was what I wanted to do at the World Championships. Unfortunately the federation selected me for the 5000m, which is not my strong event (she eventually placed seventh).&rdquo;
Although she did not have a lot of time to sharpen up for the 1500m in Eugene, she felt as though her earlier training prepared her well for a late-season breakthrough.
Like all the Ethiopians selected for Riga, this will be Hailu&rsquo;s first road mile, but she isn&rsquo;t fazed. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not doing anything different and I think the training for the 1500m will set me up well for this race.&rdquo;
Meshesha, too, is growing into her own in the 1500m. Like Welteji, she started off as an 800m runner before moving up in distance; she earned world U18 bronze over 800m in 2017 and African U18 gold in 2018 before winning at the African Games in 2019.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/629d2259263094c40bc17504.jpg" alt="Hirut Meshesha wins the 1500m in Rabat" />
Hirut Meshesha wins the 1500m in Rabat (&copy; Diamond League / Matt Quine)
</div>
But in 2021, her first year as a senior, she started to test the waters over 1500m and she won her first proper race at the distance at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Madrid. She went on to clock 3:59.43 outdoors that season, reducing it to 3:57.30 in 2022 and then to 3:54.87 earlier this year.
Despite her big PB in her specialist distance, she missed out on making the 1500m final in Budapest. She finished her track season well, though, with sub-four-minute clockings in Brussels and Eugene, and she hopes to end her year on a high in Riga before a potential move up to the 5000m in the near future.
As this will be her first mile and last race at the end of the year, she is mostly taking it to be a benchmark. &ldquo;This is the first time we&rsquo;re running this race so the main objective is to just see what I can do,&rdquo; Meshesha said. &ldquo;From there we can better adjust and plan for the future, road races and otherwise.&rdquo;
While Genzebe Dibaba and Gudaf Tsegay have won many medals and broken several records throughout the past decade, the Ethiopian women&rsquo;s middle distance team was strong at the top but without as much depth.
Now, the depth is growing. Many other Ethiopian women have made breakthroughs in the middle-distances in recent years, including Lemlem Hailu, Birke Haylom, Worknesh Mesele, Tigist Girma.
The three women heading to Riga, meanwhile, have already accomplished a lot in the distance, but are looking for more. It might not be until the indoor or outdoor track seasons. Or it could very well be in their new debut event &ndash; the road mile.
Hannah Borenstein for World Athletics
<div><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-road-running-championships/riga23/watch-riga-23?utm_source=Editorial&amp;utm_medium=Web&amp;utm_campaign=Riga-Livestream&amp;utm_content=Editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65116d42be242608a00e48cf.jpg" alt="Riga stream carousel" /></a>
&nbsp;
</div>

Diribe Welteji, Freweyni Hailu and Hirut Meshesha look set to do great things for Ethiopia in the middle distances

Welteji, Hailu and Meshesha lead new generation of Ethiopians to Riga and beyond

<h2>Women&rsquo;s mile</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-road-running-championships/riga23/programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/1500-metres/outdoor/women/senior/2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 world list (1500m)</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/road-running/1-mile-road/outdoor/women/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>
Faith Kipyegon showed with her 5000m world record earlier this year that she doesn&rsquo;t fear the unknown.
She had raced just twice over the distance before that, some eight years prior. But she took on &ndash; and ran away from &ndash; a quality field to set her second of three track world records this year.
Now, despite having never raced on the roads, the Kenyan great turns her attention to the mile at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23, where she is aiming to win her third global title of the year, following the 1500m and 5000m golds she earned in Budapest.
The 29-year-old has already shown versatility across different terrains, as well as distances. Back in 2011 she won her first global title in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships, which she successfully defended two years later.
The track has been her main focus in recent years, but she has often spoken of a potential move to the roads &ndash; and eventually the marathon &ndash; so her appearance in Riga marks the first significant step in that plan.
Her track mile world record of 4:07.64, set earlier this year in Monaco, is seven seconds faster than the PB of the next-fastest entrant. It&rsquo;s also 20 seconds faster than the newly ratified official road mile world record (4:27.97), which belongs to USA&rsquo;s Nikki Hiltz.
It&rsquo;s probably safe to assume that the winning time in Riga will fall somewhere between the existing world records for the track mile and the road mile. And while it would be brave to bet against Kipyegon, there is never a guarantee in sport &ndash; especially with a field as good as the one in Riga.
Ethiopia has selected three of its best middle-distance runners, all of whom have bettered 3:56 for 1500m this year.
Diribe Welteji was Kipyegon&rsquo;s closest challenger at the World Championships in Budapest, finishing within one second of the Kenyan to take silver in 3:55.69. She went on to set a PB of 3:53.93 at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene, once again finishing second to Kipyegon.
World indoor bronze medallist Hirut Meshesha enjoyed a breakthrough run at the Diamond League meeting in Silesia in July, clocking a PB of 3:54.87. She will be fired up to end her year on a high, having missed out on making the World Championships final in Budapest.
Fellow Ethiopian Freweyni Hailu has displayed remarkable range in recent years, clocking PBs of 1:57.57 for 800m, 3:55.68 for 1500m and 14:23.45 for 5000m. She took world indoor silver over 800m last year, and placed seventh in the 5000m in Budapest last month. Her 1500m PB was set just earlier this month at the Diamond League Final, so she&rsquo;ll carry strong form into Riga.
Kipyegon won&rsquo;t be alone in her quest to secure a medal for Kenya, as she&rsquo;ll have support from compatriot Nelly Chepchirchir. The 20-year-old has been a revelation this year, breaking 4:00 for 1500m on five occasions, placing fifth at the World Championships, and clocking a PB of 3:56.72.
Steeplechase world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech had also been entered, but is a late withdrawal.
The fight for medals won&rsquo;t be an all Kenya-Ethiopia affair, though.
Australia&rsquo;s Jess Hull has had one of her best seasons to date, starting with mixed relay bronze at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, and continuing with Oceanian records for 3000m and the mile. Her 1500m PB of 3:57.29 back in June also briefly stood as an area record, and she went on to place seventh in Budapest.
Japan&rsquo;s Nozomi Tanaka has also been in record-breaking form this year. The 24-year-old, who already held the Japanese 1500m record at 3:59.19, has twice broken the national 5000m record this year, reducing it to 14:29.18. She is entered for both the mile and 5km in Riga, despite them being scheduled just 70 minutes apart.
Teenager Addison Wiley displayed strong form at the end of the track season, clocking PBs of 1:57.64 and 3:59.17 in her final 800m and 1500m races of 2023. She leads a strong US squad alongside Emily Mackay and Helen Schlachtenhaufen.
Other contenders include Spain&rsquo;s Marta Perez, Britain&rsquo;s Sarah McDonald and Uganda&rsquo;s Winnie Nanyondo.
<div><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-road-running-championships/riga23/watch-riga-23?utm_source=Editorial&amp;utm_medium=Web&amp;utm_campaign=Riga-Livestream&amp;utm_content=Editorial"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65116d42be242608a00e48cf.jpg" alt="Riga live stream" /></a></div>
<h2>Men&rsquo;s mile</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-road-running-championships/riga23/programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/1500-metres/outdoor/men/senior/2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 world list (1500m)</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/road-running/1-mile-road/outdoor/men/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>
Despite still being an U20 athlete, Reynold Cheruiyot has used the 2023 season to test the waters of the senior international scene. He now aims to end the year by winning his first senior global title.
The 19-year-old Kenyan won the world U20 1500m title last year, which he followed with silver in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst back in February. He won the African U20 1500m title two months later, but has focused on senior competition since then.
He clocked a 1500m PB of 3:30.30, putting him fifth on the world U20 all-time list, and came close to matching that time when placing eighth in the World Championships final in 3:30.78. After the World Championships, he went on to set a world U20 best for 2000m (4:48.14) and a world U20 record for the mile (3:48.06).
Not only does he have the fastest 1500m season&rsquo;s best of all the Riga entrants, he also has the fastest track mile PB. But even so, there is no clear-cut favourite in this extremely open field.
Ethiopian duo Teddese Lemi and Melkeneh Azize are among the quicker entrants, based on 1500m form. Lemi was part of the victorious Ethiopian mixed relay team at the 2019 World Cross, and last year he placed fourth at the World Indoor Championships and eighth at the World Championships.
Eighteen-year-old Azize will be competing at his first senior global championships. After taking world U20 1500m bronze in 2021, he upgraded it to 3000m gold in 2022. As a measure of his talent, he set a 1500m PB of 3:33.74 in 2021 when he was just 16 years of age.
Sam Prakel heads to Riga off the back of having his road mile mark of 4:01.21 ratified as the inaugural world record for the discipline. The US indoor champion reached the 1500m final at last year&rsquo;s World Indoors and will be aiming to improve on his eighth-place finish from there.
Compatriot Hobbs Kessler will be making his global championships debut. The 20-year-old holds the North American U20 1500m record and the US high school indoor mile record, and earlier this year he set a 1500m PB of 3:32.61.
South Africa&rsquo;s Ryan Mphahlele has excelled on the roads, cross country and track this year. He ran a storming leg in the mixed relay at the World Cross in Bathurst, then followed it with a 1500m PB of 3:32.90 in mid-April. Less than two weeks later, he set a national record of 13:24 for the road 5km. He has also won two international track mile races this season, setting PBs of 3:55.59 and 3:54.48.
Other potential contenders include Kenya&rsquo;s world cross mixed relay champion Kyumbe Munguti, in-form Italian Mohad Abdikadar Sheik Ali and Australia&rsquo;s Matthew Ramsden.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

The expected highlights in the women's and men's mile at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23

WRRC Riga 23 preview: mile

World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Alpheus Finlayson, a former World Athletics Council Member and former President of the Bahamian athletics federation, died on Friday (22) at the age of 76.
Born in Nassau in 1947, Finlayson discovered his passion for athletics while at school and became a runner and then an administrator.
He was President of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association from 1989 to 1997 and also held roles including Vice President of the Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation, and Vice President of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Area Athletic Association.
The first Bahamian Olympic medal in athletics was won during Finlayson&rsquo;s presidency of the national federation, when Frank Rutherford claimed triple jump bronze at the 1992 Games in Barcelona.
He was also in the role when the nation&rsquo;s first three World Championships medals were won, in 1995 and 1997.
Finlayson became the first Bahamian elected to the World Athletics Council in 1999 &ndash; a position he held until 2003 &ndash; and he attended every World Athletics Championships from the inaugural edition in Helsinki in 1983 to the 2017 event in London.
As well as his impact in administration, Finlayson was an athletics writer, historian and broadcaster, publishing his book From Vancouver to Athens: Fifty Years of Bahamian International Track &amp; Field Competition in 2009 and hosting Track World television and radio shows.
Outside of athletics, Finlayson also had a successful career in insurance.

Alpheus Finlayson, 1947-2023

Former World Athletics Council Member Finlayson dies

Olympic bronze medallist Emma Oosterwegel successfully defended her heptathlon title at the Decastar meeting in Talence while Makenson Gletty smashed his PB to win the decathlon at the final World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold event of the year on Sunday (24).
Dutch heptathlete Oosterwegel ended her 2023 campaign on a high, scoring a season&rsquo;s best of 6495 to move to fourth on this year&rsquo;s world list behind the three world medallists. French all-rounder Gletty, meanwhile, added 164 points to his PB to take the decathlon with 8443.
USA&rsquo;s Taliyah Brooks, winner of Multistars earlier this year, got off to the strongest start in the heptathlon as she clocked 12.91 to take the lead after the first event, the 100m hurdles. A 1.75m clearance in the high jump kept Brooks at the top of the leaderboard ahead of Switzerland&rsquo;s Annik Kalin, who clocked 13.21 and cleared 1.75m, and Germany&rsquo;s Sophie Weissenberg, who topped the high jump with a 1.81m clearance after clocking 13.72 in the hurdles.
Oosterwegel, meanwhile, was in fifth after her 13.46 run in the hurdles and 1.75m leap in the high jump. But a 13.80m throw in the shot put moved her up to third overall. Weissenberg took the lead after throwing 13.67m, while Brooks (12.93m) slipped to second.
The margins tightened after the 200m as Brooks closed the gap to just a single point, clocking 24.02 to Weissenberg&rsquo;s 24.05 in the 200m. Oosterwegel ran 24.48 to hold on to third place ahead of Kalin and Marijke Esselink of the Netherlands.
Kalin catapulted herself to the top of the leaderboard after the first event of day two, leaping 6.67m in the long jump to move 36 points clear of Brooks, who jumped 6.24m. A 6.18m jump from Oosterwegel kept her in third place overall.
Oosterwegel then produced one of the stand-out performances of the day, throwing a javelin PB of 56.66m &ndash; almost 10 metres farther than the next-best heptathlete &ndash; to move into the overall lead with one event remaining. Kalin threw 46.05m, while Brooks managed 37.41m.
Oosterwegel rounded out her weekend with a solid 2:13.62 clocking in the 800m, bringing her tally to 6495 &ndash; the second-best score of her career after the 6590 PB she set when earning Olympic bronze in Tokyo.
Kalin was second with 6390 and Brooks held on to third place with 6181. Oosterwegel&rsquo;s victory moved her into the overall lead in the Combined Events Tour standings.
<h2>Redemption for Gletty</h2>
Gletty, who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the World Championships, went into Decastar fired up and ready to end his season on a high.
He got off to a strong start, clocking 10.78 in the 100m and leaping 7.34m in the long jump, then moved into the lead thanks to a 16.46m heave in the shot put, a PB by 10cm. Once he made it to the top of the leaderboard, he did not relinquish that position for the rest of the competition.
Germany&rsquo;s Manuel Eitel provided strong opposition, though. He was the early leader after clocking 10.64 in the 100m, then Switzerland&rsquo;s Finley Gaio went to the top of the standings after leaping 7.54m in the long jump.
Belgium&rsquo;s world U20 heptathlon record-holder Jente Hauttekeete moved from ninth to fifth &ndash; behind Gletty, Eitel, Gaio and Victor &ndash; thanks to his 2.08m clearance in the high jump, the best of the day by nine centimetres. Gletty, Eitel and world bronze medallist Lindon Victor each managed 1.96m, while Gaio cleared 1.93m.
The top of the standings remained the same following the day&rsquo;s final event, the 400m. Gaio clocked 48.30 and Gletty a PB of 48.38 to finish day one in the lead ahead of Eitel, who ran 48.75.
Gletty&rsquo;s second day started well as he produced the fastest time in the 110m hurdles, 14.01, extending his lead over Eitel and Gaio. Victor made up ground in the discus, throwing 48.74m to move into third overall behind Eitel, but Gletty maintained the lead with his 41.67m throw.
From thereon in, the positions of the top three remained the same. A 17-centimetre improvement on his PB in the pole vault, 5.07m, gave Getty a comfortable lead of more than 200 points over Eitel (4.67m) and Victor (4.77m).
The gaps closed slightly after the javelin, Eitel throwing 63.68m to Victor&rsquo;s 62.95m and Gletty&rsquo;s 59.77m. But Gletty could not be caught in the final event, the 1500m, and he ended his series with a solid 4:27.46 clocking. That gave the 24-year-old a winning score of 8443, moving him to sixth on the French all-time list and 14th on this year&rsquo;s world list.
Eitel was second with 8193 and Victor held on to third with 7980.

Oosterwegel wins Decastar heptathlon with 6495, Gletty takes decathlon with 8443 PB

Oosterwegel and Gletty end season on a high in Talence

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tigst Assefa successfully defended her BMW Berlin Marathon title in style, smashing the world record with 2:11:53* while distance running legend Eliud Kipchoge notched up a record fifth victory at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race in the German capital on Sunday (24).
Assefa took more than two minutes off the women&rsquo;s world record of 2:14:04, which had been set by Kenya&rsquo;s Brigid Kosgei at the 2019 Chicago Marathon. Kipchoge, meanwhile, won by 31 seconds in 2:02:42, the fifth-fastest time of his illustrious career.
The men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s races unfolded in contrasting style.
A large pack of the leading contenders ran together through the early stages of the women&rsquo;s race, passing through 5km in 15:58. 13 women were still in contact with the lead as they passed through 10km in 31:45.
By the time 15km was reached in 47:26, Assefa and compatriot Workenesh Edesa had managed to open up a slight gap on Kenya&rsquo;s Sheila Chepkirui and Ethiopia&rsquo;s 2015 world 5000m silver medallist Senbere Teferi and Zeineba Yimer. The first 12 women were strung out, but still within 15 seconds of one another &ndash; and all were running inside world record pace.
Sensing that most of her rivals were already starting to fade, Assefa took greater command of the race by throwing in a 2:59 split for the 16th kilometre. By the time she reached 17km, Assefa had dropped Edesa, the last of her opponents, and had just a few male pacemakers for company.
Assefa seemed to grow in confidence &ndash; and pace &ndash; once she knew she was alone at the front of the pack, and she went on to reach the half-way point in 1:06:20, putting her on track to smash the world record by more than a minute.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/651003551134bfc23005d649.jpg" alt="Tigst Assefa on her way to a world record at the Berlin Marathon" />
Tigst Assefa on her way to a world record at the Berlin Marathon (&copy; SCC EVENTS/Petko Beier)
</div>
And then she sped up. The next kilometre was covered in 2:48, the fastest of the race up to that point, extending her advantage over Edesa and Chepkirui.&nbsp; Assefa&rsquo;s 25km split of 1:18:40 was still well inside world record schedule; Chepkirui and Edesa, now almost a minute behind the leader, had dropped off the pace, but were still on course for huge PBs.
Assefa, still looking incredibly relaxed and composed, covered the next 10km segments in a remarkable 31:02, bringing her to 35km in 1:49:41. Her 30km split was 1:34:12, the second-fastest mark in history for that checkpoint (behind Ruth Chepngetich&rsquo;s 1:34:01 from the 2022 Chicago Marathon).
But while Chepngetich faded badly in that race last year, Assefa went from strength to strength in the closing stages in Berlin.
She got to 40km in 2:05:13, following another 15:32 5km split, putting her on course for a finishing time in the 2:12 range. Spurred on by the knowledge that the world record was in the bag, Assefa picked up her pace in the closing kilometres and charged through the finish line in 2:11:53.
Chepkirui held on to second place in 2:17:49, while Tanzania&rsquo;s Magdalena Shauri made a remarkable breakthrough to take third place in 2:18:41, a huge national record.
A record eight women finished inside 2:20.
<h2>Berlin victory no.5 for Kipchoge</h2>
Kipchoge may not have improved on his own world record, but he added to his legacy on the streets of Berlin by achieving a record fifth win, clocking 2:02:42.
The two-time Olympic champion eventually won by 31 seconds, but for most of the race he had company in the surprising form of Ethiopia's Derseh Kindie.
The duo made an early break from the rest of the field, reaching 5km in 14:12 with a 15-second margin over the rest of the elite men. By 10km, reached in 28:27, they were operating at exactly 2:00:00 marathon pace and more than half a minute ahead of the seven-man chase pack.
Kipchoge and Kindie continued to run together at world record schedule through the half-way point, reached in 1:00:22, but the pace started to drop soon after. By the time they got to 25km (1:11:48), they were no longer on schedule to break Kipchoge's record of 2:01:09 set last year in Berlin.
But records weren't Kipchoge's main concern; he had company in the form of a relatively unheralded runner up to 30km (1:26:25), so his attention was primarily on securing victory.
At about 31km into the race, Kipchoge increased his tempo and, with a cursary glance over his shoulder to see if Kindie was able to follow, knew it was enough to see off his opponent. The Kenyan great was alone in front at last, while Kindie continued for another minute or so before stepping off the course.
Kipchoge still had more than 10km to go, but his lead was comfortable and his form was controlled and relaxed. He went on to win in 2:02:42, while a fast-finishing Vincent Kipkemoi came through to take second place in 2:03:13. Ethiopia's Tadese Takele was third in 2:03:24.
A record nine men finished inside 2:05 and 15 finished inside 2:06, making it the deepest men's marathon in history. There were national records for Germany's Amanal Petros (ninth in 2:04:58) and Switzerland's Tadesse Abraham (11th in 2:05:10).
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Tigst Assefa (ETH) 2:11:53 2 Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) 2:17:49 3 Magdalena Shauri (TAN) 2:18:41 4 Zeineba Yimer (ETH) 2:19:07 5 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 2:19:21 6 Dera Dida (ETH) 2:19:24 7 Workenesh Edesa (ETH) 2:19:40 8 Helen Bekele (ETH) 2:19:44 9 Charlotte Purdue (GBR) 2:22:17 Men 1 Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:02:42 2 Vincent Kipkemoi (KEN) 2:03:13 3 Tadese Takele (ETH) 2:03:24 4 Ronald Korir (KEN) 2:04:22 5 Haftu Teklu (ETH) 2:04:42 6 Andualem Shiferaw (ETH) 2:04:44 7 Amos Kipruto (KEN) 2:04:49 8 Philemon Kiplimo (KEN) 2:04:56 9 Amanal Petros (GER) 2:04:58 10 Boniface Kiplimo (KEN) 2:05:05
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

Ethiopian takes more than two minutes off world record

Assefa smashes world marathon record in Berlin with 2:11:53, Kipchoge achieves record fifth win

Eliud Kipchoge and Tigst Assefa return to defend their BMW Berlin Marathon titles, with Kipchoge on the hunt for a record fifth men&rsquo;s race win at the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race on Sunday (24).
With athletes seeking fast times and leading performances as they look to make a mark ahead of next year&rsquo;s Olympic Games in Paris, the pair face formidable fields on the streets of the German capital.
Kenya&rsquo;s Kipchoge clocked 2:01:09 to improve his own world record by half a minute when winning in Berlin last year. That was his fourth victory &ndash; matching the feat achieved by Haile Gebrselassie &ndash; and now Kipchoge has the chance to go one better.
&ldquo;Berlin&nbsp;for me is like home,&rdquo; said two-time Olympic champion Kipchoge, who claimed his previous Berlin Marathon wins in 2015, 2017 and 2018, the latter in a then world record of 2:01:39. &ldquo;Looking at the Olympic Games in Paris next year, I considered which races would be the best preparation for me and&nbsp;Berlin&nbsp;was the best option.&rdquo;
A year ago, his pace for much of the early stages of the race suggested he might even break two hours. &ldquo;But that was 2022, it&rsquo;s a different year now and a different race,&rdquo; said the 38-year-old. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m nervous, but that shows I&rsquo;m ready. I&rsquo;ll try to run a good time.&rdquo;
Of the 18 competitive marathons he has raced, Kipchoge has only lost on three occasions &ndash; on his Berlin Marathon debut in 2013, in London in 2020, and in Boston in April. Completing the undulating Boston course in 2:09:23, Kipchoge finished his most recent race in sixth place, but the Kenyan remains the man to beat in Berlin.
There are a number of athletes who will want to challenge him, however.
Kipchoge&rsquo;s compatriot Amos Kipruto has the second fastest PB among the entries and he hopes to go even faster on Sunday.
The 2019 world bronze medallist, who won last year&rsquo;s London Marathon, clocked 2:03:13 when finishing second to Kipchoge in last year&rsquo;s Tokyo Marathon.
The pair have clashed on two other occasions in the marathon: once in Berlin, where Kipruto finished second in 2:06:23 behind Kipchoge&rsquo;s world record run in 2018, and once at the Olympic Games in Japan, where Kipchoge won and Kipruto did not finish.
This time they will face 10 other men with sub-2:06 PBs: Kenya&rsquo;s Jonathan Maiyo, Eliud Kiptanui, Ronald Korir, Philemon Kiplimo, Enock Onchari and Mark Korir, and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tadu Abate, Andualem Shiferaw and Haftu Teklu, plus Eritrea&rsquo;s Ghirmay Ghebreslassie.
Like Kipchoge, Ghebreslassie also raced in Boston but he did not finish. The 2015 world champion, who finished fourth at the Olympics the following year, ran his PB of 2:05:34 last year &ndash; a mark that put him third in the Seville Marathon.
Mark Korir and Abate respectively finished second and third behind Kipchoge in Berlin last year and also return.
Ronald Korir raced three marathons last year, achieving his best performance in the last of those. In Valencia in December he clocked his PB of 2:05:37.
In the same race, Kiplimo ran 2:05:44 in what was only his second career marathon and first outside of Kenya. He now races the distance for the third time, as part of a field that also features Onchari, who ran 2:05:44 in Seville in February.
Leading the domestic challenge is Amanal Petros, who hopes to break his own German record of 2:06:07.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve trained in Kenya for almost four months, concentrating entirely on&nbsp;Berlin,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Going through halfway in around 62 minutes is feasible, but we can adjust the pace at any time.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The field also features Swiss record-holder Tadesse Abraham, who ran 2:06:38 last year in Zurich.
Just two seconds behind him on PB is Ethiopia&rsquo;s Andamlak Belihu, who finished fourth in Berlin last year thanks to that lifetime best.
His compatriot Tadese Takele, the 2021 world U20 3000m steeplechase silver medallist, makes his marathon debut. He clocked 59:41 on his half marathon debut in Herzogenaurach last year.
Assefa headlines the women&rsquo;s race after improving the women's course record by more than two minutes last year with her winning time of 2:15:37, a mark that places her fifth on the world all-time list.
She won by almost two-and-a-half minutes ahead of Rosemary Wanjiru and Tigist Abayechew, and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Abayechew also returns to a race where she set her 2:18:03 PB.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m delighted to be running again in Berlin,&rdquo; said Assefa. &ldquo;Last year&rsquo;s race proved an unexpected success for me. I think I can run even faster on Sunday. A further improvement would be a success.&rdquo;
In response to the question of whether a new course record would mean setting her sights on the world record of 2:14:04, she added: &ldquo;Much can happen so I cannot say at the moment what would be the halfway split. I want to improve my time, but I am not thinking about the world record.&rdquo;
Assefa and Abayechew will race against another five women with sub-2:20 PBs and a further five who have dipped under 2:22.
Joining Assefa with a PB under 2:18 is Kenya&rsquo;s Sheila Chepkirui. The Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medallist finished fourth in the London Marathon in April in 2:18:51 and ran her PB of 2:17:29 in Valencia in December. While this is her first time at the Berlin Marathon, she does have experience of racing in the city as she won the Berlin Half Marathon in 2022 in a course record of 1:05:02.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Workenesh Edesa finished fourth last year in a PB of 2:18:51, while her compatriots Hiwot Gebrekidan and Zeineba Yimer, plus Japan&rsquo;s Hitomi Niiya, are the other athletes in the field who have dipped under 2:20 in their careers so far.
Etagegne Woldu ran 2:20:03 in Valencia in December and is joined by her compatriots Gutemi Imana, Dera Dida and Yoshi Chekole, plus Romania&rsquo;s&nbsp;Delvine Meringor.
The field also features Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senbere Teferi, the 2015 world 5000m silver medallist who set a world 5km record of 14:29 in 2021 and is contesting her third marathon.
<h3>Elite fields</h3>
Women Tigst Assefa (ETH) 2:15:37 Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) 2:17:29 Tigist Abayechew (ETH) 2:18:03 Workenesh Edesa (ETH) 2:18:51 Hiwot Gebrekidan (ETH) 2:19:10 Hitomi Niiya (JPN) 2:19:24 Zeineba Yimer (ETH) 2:19:28 Etagegne Woldu (ETH) 2:20:03 Gutemi Imana (ETH) 2:20:11 Delvine Meringor (ROU) 2:20:49 Yoshi Chekole (ETH) 2:21:17 Dera Dida (ETH) 2:21:11 Fikrte Wereta (ETH) 2:22:50 Charlotte Purdue (GBR) 2:23:26 Margaret Muriuki (KEN) 2:23:52 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 2:24:11 Malindi Elmore (CAN) 2:24:50 Deborah Schoneborn (GER) 2:25:52 Fabienne Schlumpf (SUI) 2:26:14 Annie Frisbie (USA) 2:26:18 Domenika Mayer (GER) 2:26:50 Rabea Schoneborn (GER) 2:27:03 Kristina Hendel (GER) 2:27:29 Laura Hottenrott (GER) 2:28:02 Yevheniya Prokofyeva (UKR) 2:28:06 Ursula Sanchez (MEX) 2:29:11 Angie Orjuela (COL) 2:29:12 Tabea Themann (GER) 2:31:54 Jana Soethout (GER) 2:34:28 Melina Wolf (GER) Debut
Men Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:01:09&nbsp;&nbsp; Amos Kipruto (KEN) 2:03:13 Jonathan Maiyo (KEN) 2:04:56 Eliud Kiptanui (KEN) 2:05:21 Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (ERI) 2:05:34 Ronald Korir (KEN) 2:05:37 Tadu Abate (ETH) 2:05:38 Philemon Kiplimo (KEN) 2:05:44 Enock Onchari (KEN) 2:05:47 Mark Korir (KEN) 2:05:49 Andualem Shiferaw (ETH) 2:05:52 Haftu Teklu (ETH) 2:05:53 Amanal Petros (GER) 2:06:27 Josphat Boit (KEN) 2:06:34 Tadesse Abraham (SUI) 2:06:38 Andamlak Belihu (ETH) 2:06:40 Okubay Tsegay (ERI) 2:06:46 Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 2:06:49 Yusuke Ogura (JPN) 2:06:51 Denis Chirchir (KEN) 2:07:17 Justus Kangogo (KEN) 2:07:40 Titus Kipkosgei (KEN) 2:07:46 Godadaw Belachew (ISR) 2:07:54 Dominic Nyairo (KEN) 2:08:13 John Hakizimana (RWA) 2:08:18 Guojian Dong (CHN) 2:08:28 Liam Adams (AUS) 2:08:39 Scott Fauble (USA) 2:08:52 Mehdi Frere (FRA) 2:08:55 Byambajav Tseveenravdan (MGL) 2:09:03 Jared Ward (USA) 2:09:25 Yimer Getahun (ISR) 2:09:27 Michael Somers (BEL) 2:09:31 Stephen Scullion (IRL) 2:09:49 Jianhua Peng (CHN) 2:09:57 Eulalio Munoz (ARG) 2:09:59 Jacob Riley (USA) 2:10:02 Tiidrek Nurme (EST) 2:10:02 Bohdan-Ivan Horodyskyi (UKR) 2:10:14 Bart van Nunen (NED) 2:10:16 33 Thomas De Bock (BEL) 2:10:17 Hendrik Pfeiffer (GER) 2:10:18 Yared Shegumo (POL) 2:10:34 Lemawork Ketema (AUT) 2:10:44 Samuel Fitwi (GER) 2:12:14 Konstantin Wedel (GER) 2:13:02 Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich (KEN) Debut Tadese Takele (ETH) Debut

Eliud Kipchoge and Tigst Assefa return to defend their BMW Berlin Marathon titles, with Kipchoge on the hunt for a record fifth men’s race win

Kipchoge targets title No.5, Assefa seeks another win in Berlin

Women&rsquo;s world road mile record 4:27.97 Nikki Hiltz (USA) Des Moines 25 April 2023
Men&rsquo;s world road mile record 4:01.21 Sam Prakel (USA) Des Moines 25 April 2023
 The winning times from this year&rsquo;s US Road Mile Championships &ndash; 4:27.97 for Nikki Hiltz and 4:01.21 for Sam Prakel &ndash; have been ratified as the inaugural world records for the road mile.
The road mile became an official world record discipline as of 1 September. As announced after the World Athletics Council Meeting in November 2022, official recognition of a world record would require a performance of at least 3:50.00 (men) or 4:19.00 (women) between 1 January and 1 September 2023. If they were not met, the fastest recorded record-eligible performances would be recognised as the world records.
As such, the winning times at the US Road Mile Championships in Des Moines on 25 April proved to be the fastest eligible performances within that time frame and they have now been ratified as the inaugural world records.
There will, however, be a strong chance of these records being broken at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23 on 1 October, where the road mile is being contested by dozens of the world&rsquo;s best middle-distance runners as part of a programme that also features 5km and half marathon races.
Among those entered for the mile in Riga are Kenya&rsquo;s Faith Kipyegon, who has broken three world records in the 1500m, mile and 5000m on the track in 2023, plus her compatriot Beatrice Chepkoech, Australia&rsquo;s Jess Hull, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Teddese Lemi, Kenya&rsquo;s Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot and Prakel.
World Athletics

The winning times from this year’s US Road Mile Championships – 4:27.97 for Nikki Hiltz and 4:01.21 for Sam Prakel – have been ratified as the inaugural world records for the road mile