© World Athletics
© World Athletics

Dejected Rosemary Wanjiru withdraws from Berlin Marathon

Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 31.08.24. | 15:32

Ethiopia’s newcomer Tigist Ketema remains the favourite in the 2024 Berlin Marathon

Berlin Marathon organisers have announced the withdrawal of Kenya's Rosemary Wanjiru from this year’s race slated for Sunday 29 September. 

The Tokyo Marathon 2023 champion was, so far, the sole Kenyan in the women's elite field of the race celebrating its jubilee.

The battle was expected to be between her and Ethiopia’s newcomer Tigist Ketema. With their personal bests, they were among the top ten on the marathon all-time list. Ketema is the faster of the two.

"I am very disappointed, but I hope that I can return to Berlin in the future to finish at the Brandenburg Gate," Wanjiru told organizers. 

Ketema, who had been better known as an 800m and 1500m specialist, stormed into the marathon spotlight in Dubai in January as she ran 2:16:07, a time that makes her the ninth-fastest women’s marathon runner in history. 

She followed that with 2:23:21 for seventh place in London in April and Berlin will be her first race since then.

With the Kenyan out, the Ethiopian goes up against Genzebe Dibaba and Yebrugal Melese, who have respective PBs of 2:18:05 and 2:19:36, plus their compatriots Mestawot Fikir (2:20:45) Azmera Gebru (2:20:48), Sisay Gola (2:20:50), Ababel Yeshaneh (2:20:51) and Fikrte Wereta (2:21:32), as well as Japan’s Mizuki Matsuda (2:20:52).

A total of 13 world records have so far been set in the Berlin Marathon, the most recent being the 2:11:53 by Tigist Assefa in last year’s women’s race so a fast time is expected.


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Rosemary WanjiruBerlin Marathon

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