ATAF Editors
Kenya’s Levy Matebo Omari will take his bow at the 2016 Vienna City Marathon on 10 April and will be the fastest man in the field at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.
Levi Matebo won his marathon debut at the age of 20 in Brussels in 2010 with 2:13:30, but his last marathon victory dates back to 2011 when he won in Barcelona in 2:07:31.
The 26-year-old Kenyan improved his personal best to 2:05:16 when finishing second to Wilson Kipsang in Frankfurt later that year. His personal best is 25 seconds quicker than Vienna City Marathon’s course record.
Matebo Omari finished second at the 2012 Boston Marathon and seventh at the 2014 Berlin Marathon, but was affected by injury problems for most of 2015.
After a solid 2:09:54 return in Ljubljana last October, Matebo Omari intends to be in top shape when he competes in Vienna.
Matebo’s story is quite interesting. He started running as a teenager after a teacher suggested to him to give it a try.
He won the Tegla Loroupe Peace Race in Kenya, beating Wilson Kipsang on this occasion and then participated in the World Junior Cross Country Championships at the age of 18. He finished tenth in this race in 2008.
While more athletes will be added to the elite field in the coming weeks, at the moment three Kenyans look to be strong rivals for Matebo.
Robert Chemosin’s personal best of 2:08:05 was set on his debut at the distance last year in Warsaw. His half-marathon PB of 59:19 suggests that his marathon best could be due for revision.
Suleiman Simotwo is another Kenyan with great speed. He took fifth place in Vienna last year on his marathon debut and then improved to 2:08:49 in Frankfurt last October.
Another Kenyan David Kogei, who has a personal best of 59:46 for the half marathon, will be making his marathon debut in Vienna.
Kogei acted as a pacemaker in the Austrian capital last year and then did the same job at the Berlin Marathon, where he helped guide Eliud Kipchoge to a world lead of 2:04:00.
VIENNA CITY MARATHON AT A GLANCE
Saturday, 9th April 2016
Get active 4.2 | for young runners from 12-18
Get active 2.0 | for young runners from 6-12
Sunday, 10th April 2016
Vienna City Marathon | 42.195 k
OMV Half Marathon | 21.0975 k
Relay Marathon | SOLD OUT!
EVENTS
Friday, 8th and Saturday, 9th April 2016
Vienna Sports World – VCM Expo
Messe Wien, Hall D, from 10am to 7pm
Saturday, 9th April 2016
VCM Carbo Loading Party
Pasta & pancakes in the ballroom of the Vienna City Hall
from 2-7 pm
