News05 Apr 2017


Olympic medallists Kirwa and Tola to run in Istanbul

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Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa on her way to winning the Nagoya Women's Marathon (© Agence SHOT)

Olympic marathon silver medallist Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa and 10,000m bronze medallist Tamirat Tola will be among the elite runners on the start line of the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on 30 April.

Kirwa clocked 1:08:07 in Marugame at her only half marathon this year, just one second slower than her career best that she ran in the same race a year ago. The Bahraini went on to take the silver in Rio last year, an improvement on her bronze medal at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015. The 32-year-old proved her good form this season with her marathon lifetime best of 2:21:17 in Nagoya three weeks ago.

Tola will be one of the favourites in the men’s race in the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon. The Ethiopian made a great start to 2017 with his win at the Dubai Marathon, running an outstanding 2:04:11. His winning time of 59:37 in Prague this past weekend further excites the organisers who expect a sub-60-minute performance on Istanbul’s fast course, which would also be a Turkish all-comers’ record.

The winners will pocket prize money of US$10,000 in Istanbul. Last year’s races were won in 1:00:16 and 1:08:18.

Organisers for the IAAF

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