London Marathon 2023: Kenenisa Bekele to lead fast field
The Ethiopian star headlines the event with four of the five fastest marathon men in history confirmed for the race on 23 April.
Four of the five fastest men in marathon history will go head-to-head in London on 23 April.
Kenenisa Bekele, the second-fastest man ever with a personal best of 2:01:40, headlines one of the deepest men’s elite fields in the capital of the United Kingdom.
The fast line-up also comprises Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum, who ran the fastest marathon debut ever with his 2022 Valencia Marathon win in 2:01.53, the Ethiopian duo of Birhanu Legese (2:02:48) and the reigning world champion Tamirat Tola (2:03:39), as well as the 2022 London Marathon winner Kenya’s Amos Kipruto.
World record holder and double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge will again miss the event.
“Winning last year’s TCS London Marathon was an incredible experience for me. I am now preparing hard for this year’s race and I can’t wait to return to London as the champion,” Kipruto told the organisers.
British legend Mo Farah will also be back to the start line of the marathon. The event returns to its springtime slot after being pushed to October the last three years due to the pandemic.
Bekele, Kipruto to face-off again at the 2023 London Marathon
Three-time Olympic champion Bekele, considered one of the greatest distance runners of all-time, will be on the London starting line for the fifth time since his debut in 2016. His return to London probably stems from his failure to win the race in four previous attempts.
His best finish remains a second place in 2017, while his fastest time in the British capital was last year’s 2:05:53, when he set a masters world record in the age 40 group.
Despite having won a combined record of 17 world titles in track and cross-country, Bekele's biggest ambition still remains to better Kipchoge’s new marathon mark of 2:01:09.
The Kenyan athletics great, who lowered his world record with his 2022 Berlin marathon performance, will open his season with a debut run in Boston on 17 April.
In 2022, Bekele fell short of his target, finishing 74 seconds behind winner Kipruto, as his training was interrupted with hip and joint injuries.
Boosted by his first major marathon win, Kipruto hopes for another great race as he eyes the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
“London always has a really strong field and this year is the same so I know I will face a battle to defend my title, but I’m confident and looking forward to it.”
London Marathon 2023: Last dance for Mo Farah
Last-year’s runner-up Leul Gebresilase of Ethiopia, Kenya’s Vincent Kipchumba, who finished second in 2020 and 2021, and compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor, who's a two-time New York City Marathon winner, are the other stars to keep an eye on .
2018 Boston Marathon champion Yuki Kawauchi of Japan will also make his London marathon debut.
Home fans will cheer for Mo Farah.
This year’s race will be an “emotional” one for the four-time Olympic gold medallist, whose recent seasons have been hampered by injuries that forced him to withdraw from last year’s edition.
The British marathon record holder (2:05:11) has raced in London three times - his best being the third place in 2018 - and plans to retire after the 2023 season.
“I was really disappointed to miss last October’s TCS London Marathon because of injury. But I’m so happy the event has returned to April for 2023, as I don’t have to wait a whole year to get another chance,” said the 39-year-old.
"Without the fans I don't think I would have ever achieved what I have," Farah said in an interview with BBC, of his final marathon run in London.
"It is just nice to say goodbye and I think it will be quite emotional."- Mo Farah to the BBC.
Selected leading elite men at the 2023 TCS London Marathon
- Amos Kipruto (KEN, PB 2:03:13)
- Kenenisa Bekele (ETH, 2:01:41)
- Kelvin Kiptum (KEN, 2:01:53)
- Birhanu Legese (ETH, 2:02:48)
- Mosinet Geremew (ETH, 2:02:55)
- Tamirat Tola (ETH, 2:03:39)
- Kinde Atanaw (ETH, 2:03:51)
- Leul Gebresilase (ETH, 2:04:02)
- Vincent Kipchumba (KEN, 2:04:28)
- Seifu Tura (ETH, 2:04:29)
- Sir Mo Farah (GBR, 2:05:11)
- Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN, 2:05:23)