ATHLETICS – THREE of the kingdom’s distance-running specialists wrap up Team Bahrain’s campaign in athletics events today when they compete in the women’s marathon on the concluding day of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Rose Chelimo, Tigist Gashaw, and Eunice Chumba will be amongst a field of nearly 100 elite athletes who will be vying for a podium place across 42.2 kilometres of road running.
The race is scheduled to begin at 9am, Bahrain time.
Chelimo, the 2017 marathon world champion, heads into the event with a season’s best time of two hours 28 minutes 55 seconds and a personal best of 2:23:12. Gashaw, the 2013 1,500m world youth champion, has a 2:24:39 season’s best, which is also her individual record; while Chumba boasts a top mark of 2:21:25 for 2024 and a personal best of 2:20:02.
The trio will be looking to add to Bahrain’s two medals won so far in athletics events at the French capital, including the gold of Winfred Yavi in the women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase and the silver of Salwa Eid Naser in the women’s 400m.
They also hope to follow in the footsteps of Bahrain’s Eunice Kirwa, who won a women’s marathon silver medal in Rio 2016.
Many of the world’s top marathoners are set to compete today. Among them are defending Olympic champion and current world number four Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya, world number one Tigst Assefa and world number seven Megertu Alemu of Ethiopia, world number two Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, and world number three Amane Beriso Shankule of Tanzania, to name a few.
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