Stiff competition for Philimon Kipchumba in Xiamen Marathon
The Xiamen Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, is gearing up for an intense men's competition, featuring defending champion Philimon Kiptoo Kipchumba.
The Marathon will witness a formidable field of 12 runners boasting career-best times faster than the existing course record of 2:06:19 set by Moses Mosop in 2015.
Philimon Kipchumba's record
Kipchumba, a 25-year-old Kenyan, enters the race with an impressive track record.
Undefeated last year, he secured victories in all three of his marathon races. Notably, he shattered the course record in Xiamen with a winning time of 2:08:04, and later, in Shanghai, he clocked an outstanding 2:05:35, setting a new Chinese all-comers' record.
Kenyan half marathon record-holder Kibiwott Kandie, aged 27, is also set to be a strong contender.
Coming off a personal best of 2:04:48 in Valencia last month, Kandie is determined to vie for his inaugural marathon title in Xiamen.
Ethiopian athlete Chalu Deso, 26, adds to the competitive mix with a career best of 2:04:53 achieved in Valencia in 2020. Deso finished seventh in the recent Valencia marathon, clocking 2:05:14, and boasts notable victories in marathons such as Tokyo, Paris, and Porto. Xiamen Marathon marks his third race in China, following previous outings in Nanjing and Dalian in 2018.
Philimon Kipchumba's compatriot
Kenya's Philemon Kiplimo, another sub-2:05 runner, brings fresh legs to Xiamen, having last contested a marathon more than three months ago, finishing eighth in Berlin with a personal best of 2:04:56.
The race also features Moroccan record-holder Othmane El Goumri, who set a personal best of 2:05:12 in Barcelona last March and later clinched victory in the Sydney Marathon in 2:08:20.
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