Wilson Kiprop, Petro Mamu and Maryam Jamal are set to participate in the 2013 BOclassic international New Year’s Eve Run in Bozen/Bolzano.
With two weeks left before the 39th edition of the run in South Tyrol, Italy, the Organising Committee managed to pull off a coup – or better, three coups. Added to the two vice world champions, Imane Merga and Gladys Cherono, on the start line are three world masters: Wilson Kiprop (half marathon), Maryam Jamal (1500m) and Petro Mamu (mountain running).
Merga especially has to beware of Wilson Kiprop. In 2010, he won the gold medal at the half marathon WC and was African champion over 10,000m.
The 26-year-old Kenyan is in excellent shape: in last week’s half marathon in New Delhi (India), he ran a world class time of 59:49 minutes. In Bozen/Bolzano Kiprop already finished second in 2011, defeating Merga (3rd).
For the first time, a mountain running world champion participates at the 10,000 m run in the alleys of Bozen/Bolzano’s old town. Petro Mamu, 29 year old Eritrean, won the WC in Mountain running in 2012.
The third world champion who starts at the BOclassic, is double world champion over 1500m. And there is even more about her: the Ethiopian-born Zenebech Tola, who has been running for Bahrain since 2005 and calls herself Maryam Jamal (29), is one of the most enigmatic athletes world wide.
Besides winning two gold world medals (2007 and 2009), she also was third at the Olympics in 2012 and won two medals at Indoor World Championships.
The elite runs of women (5km) and men (10km) starts at 3 pm. BOclassic runs will broadcast by Rai Sport live.
Meet The Authors
Yomog Meje is a former Nigerian junior athlete and the Associate editor at Athletics Africa.
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