Two-time La Rochelle Marathon champion Marion Kibor will go head-to-head with Stockholm Marathon defending champion Sifan Melaku this Saturday (June 1) in a thrilling showdown in Sweden's capital.
Melaku claimed the title last year after clocking 2:30:44 in a race where she led an Ethiopian podium sweep. Compatriots Amente Sorome (2:33:31) and Yenenesh Dinkesa (2:35:44) placed second and third
Kibor boasts a personal best (PB) of 2:22:35 set during last year’s Haspa Marathon, where she placed fifth.
The 30-year-old first seized the La Rochelle title in 2019 with a time of 2:29:51 and reclaimed it in 2022 with an impressive 2:25:15.
Her accolades also include a bronze in the Paris Half Marathon (1:06:46) and a silver at the 2022 Geneva Marathon (2:28:30).
Joining Kibor is Flomena Chepkiach, the Tunis Marathon champion, Lina Jepkemoi, the Linz Marathon silver medallist and Sarah Kiptoo, the 2014 Cleveland Marathon champion.
Melaku will be flanked by her formidable Ethiopian teammates, last year’s runner-up Sorome and 2019 Leiden Marathon champion Zenebu Bihonegn.
In the men’s race, Fredrick Kibii, the 2023 Hannover Marathon bronze medallist, will lead the Kenyan charge. Kibii has a PB of 2:08:09 set in Hannover.
He will be supported by Robert Ngeno, Buenos Aires Marathon bronze medallist, who placed fourth at last year's Stockholm Marathon with a time of 2:13:52.
Also in the mix is Bernard Kipkorir, the 2020 Houston Half Marathon silver medallist. He has a PB of 2:07:18 from the 2021 Valencia Marathon where he finished in position 15.
Kipkorir has an impressive record in the half marathon including a title in the 2019 Istanbul Half Marathon (59:56) as well as silver medals during the 2019 Valencia (59:07) and Copenhagen (59:16) Half Marathons.
Rounding out the Kenyan squad are Kennedy Kipyeko, the La Rochelle Marathon champion with a PB of 2:10:49 and Abednego Cheruiyot, the 2022 Azpeitia Half Marathon bronze medallist.
Morocco’s Mohamed El Talhaoui will pose a significant challenge for the Kenyans. El Talhaoui, who has a PB of 2:08:03 from the Seville Marathon, is expected to be a strong contender.
