Kenenisa Bekele isn’t done yet, will race London Marathon

Indisputably, one of the greatest distance runners of all time, Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia has announced that he’ll be coming back to the London Marathon. Now 40, the three-time Olympic champion on the track, who is in the latter stages of his career, will be hoping to finally get his hands on a London Marathon victory to add to his incredible resume.

The second-fastest marathoner of all time has taken three cracks at the London Marathon, almost winning twice. He was third in 2016 and second in 2017, but injuries have hindered him since winning the 2019 Berlin Marathon in 2:01:41.

His two most recent finishes cannot be ignored–sixth at the 2021 NYC Marathon and a third-place finish in Berlin at age 39. These performances hint he still may have a chance for victory. 

? 2021 reigning champ, Sisay Lemma
? 2nd fastest of all time, @KenenisaBekele
?? British record holder, @Mo_Farah

We're gonna have a race on our hands this year.

Full Elite Men's Field ?#LondonMarathon | #EliteWeek

— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) July 7, 2022

Bekele will have to hold off the likes of his countryman Birhanu Legese (the third-fastest marathoner in history behind world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and Bekele, with a personal best of 2:02:48), and Mosinet Geremew (2:02:55), the fifth-fastest of all time. Geremew was third at the 2021 London Marathon, while Legese was fifth. 

One other Ethiopian who can’t be ignored is Sisay Lemma, who got his first Abbott Marathon Major victory in London last year. He had previously racked up wins in smaller marathons such as Frankfurt and Vienna, and finished third in three different marathon majors, including the London Marathon in 2020.

Britain’s Mo Farah returns to the marathon distance after an attempt to qualify for the Olympics on the track last summer. Farah has not raced a marathon since 2019 in Chicago, where he finished eighth, in 2:09:58. The previous year, Farah won Chicago in a European record of 2:05:11; he also finished third in London, setting a British record of 2:06:21. 

You can view the full list of elites for the 2022 London Marathon, here.