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Beijing Olympic Games are the next stop for
WMM leaders
When the world’s top marathon
runners take to the streets of Beijing later this month at the Olympic Games
they will be competing for more than gold, silver and bronze. For the first time
since the launch of the World Marathon Majors Series in 2006, the Olympic Games
will be counted in the scoring.
The World Marathon Majors Series
consists of the Boston Marathon, Flora London Marathon, real,-Berlin-Marathon, Bank of
America Chicago Marathon, and ING New York City Marathon. The IAAF World
Championships Marathon and Olympic Games Marathon are also included in the
scoring on the years in which they are contested. Scoring takes place over a
two-year period, with points awarded for a top-5 finish.
The women’s 2007-2008 leaderboard
remains tightly packed, and with as many as six of the top nine women expected
to race in Beijing, the Olympic Games could play a
deciding role in the Series. Defending WMM champion Gete Wami holds the lead
with 65 points, however she has already registered four scoring races in
2007-2008 (a maximum of an athlete’s four best scores are counted in the final
standings), and will only be able to improve upon her total with a gold or
silver medal. Should she falter, hometown favorite Chunxiu Zhou of
China, second with 40 points, could
gain ground.
Three men remain in contention for
the 2007-2008 WMM Series title, and each will be racing in Beijing. Martin Lel (75
points) currently leads 2006-2007 WMM Series champ Robert Cheruiyot (55 points)
and Abderrahim Goumri (40 points). A gold medal for Lel would clinch the
2007-2008 WMM crown — and the accompanying $500,000 prize — with a perfect
score of 100 points. Should Lel fall short and Cheruiyot or Goumri medal, then
the WMM Series title could come down to one of the fall
events.
The women’s Olympic Marathon is
scheduled for August 17, while the men’s marathon will be run on August 24, the
final day of the Games. Following the Olympic Games, the real,-BERLIN-MARATHON will be
held on September 28, Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 12, and ING
New York City Marathon on November 2. The 2007-2008 WMM Series Champions will be
crowned at a luncheon in New
York on November 3.
Men’s
2007-2008 WMM Series Leaderboard
1.
Martin Lel (KEN)
75 pts.
1st
New York
2007
2:09:04
1st
London
2007
2:07:41
1st
London
2008
2:05:15
2.
Robert K. Cheruiyot (KEN)
55 pts.
3.
Abderrahim Goumri (MAR)
40 pts.
4.
Haile Gebrselassie (ETH)
25 pts.
4.
Luke Kibet (KEN)
25 pts.
4.
Patrick Ivuti (KEN)
25 pts.
Italics
= athlete is expected to compete in the Olympic Marathon.
Women’s
2007-2008 WMM Series Leaderboard
1.
Gete Wami (ETH)
65 pts.
2nd
New York
2007
2:23:32
1st
Berlin
2007
2:23:17
2nd
London
2007
2:21:45
3rd
London
2008
2:25:37
2.
Chunxiu Zhou (CHN)
40 pts.
2.
Irina Mikitenko (GER)
40 pts.
4.
Lidiya Grigoryeva (RUS)
30 pts.
4.
Jelena Prokopcuka (LAT)
30 pts.
6.
Catherine Ndereba (KEN)
26 pts.
7.
Dire Tune (ETH)
25 pts.
7.
Paula Radcliffe (GBR)
25 pts.
7.
Berhane Adere (ETH)
25 pts.
Italics
= athlete is expected to compete in the Olympic Marathon.
Complete 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 WMM
Series leaderboards can be found at
worldmarathonmajors.com.
For
additional information on the World Marathon
Majors, or if you would like to speak to a Race Director or athlete, please
contact one of the following Public Relations
Directors:
Jack
Fleming
or Marc Chalufour, Boston Marathon
+1 617.236.1652
fleming@baa.org or
chalufour@baa.org
Nicola
Okey, Flora London Marathon
+ 44
207.902.0182
nicolao@london-marathon.co.uk
Thomas
Steffens, real,-BERLIN-MARATHON
+
49 171.933.4836
thomas.steffens@berlin-marathon.com
Marianne
Caponi, Bank of America
Chicago Marathon
+1
312.904.9816
marianne.caponi@bankofamerica.com
Richard
Finn, ING New York City Marathon
+1
212.423.2229
rfinn@nyrr.org
