2008 Beijing Summer Olympics: Kenyan-born Jaouad Gharib & Mubarak Hassan Shami of Morocco Preview Marathon at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics | iHaveNet

Kenyan-born Mubarak Hassan Shami of Qatar and Jaouad Gharib of Morocco preview the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Men's marathon on August 24th.

Hassan Shami won the Paris Marathon in 2007 and a Silver medal at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan. Jaouad Gharib won Marathons at both the 2003 Paris World Championships and at Helsinki in 2005.

In the absence of world record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, who chose to run the 10,000 meters, several runners are favored to challenge for medals in an event that is always difficult to predict.

This year's Olympic Marathon is even more difficult to predict given the deep field of highly talented runners which is compounded by the summer heat, humidity and often-talked about Beijing pollution. If Beijing's pollution is to play a part in these Olympics, the Men's Olympic Marathon race is the likeliest of candidates to be impacted.

Oddly enough, the fastest time run in an Olympics Marathon was at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. Los Angeles is known for its notorious smog conditions. Marathoner Carlos Lopes of Portugal won Gold in 1984 with a winning time of 2 hours 9 minutes and 21 sewconds (2:09:21).

Mubarak Hassan Shami & Jaouad Gharib face challenges from a strong contingent of African and European athletes when he defends his Olympic Men's Marathon crown.

Stefano Baldini of Italy 2004 Athens Summer Olympics Marathon Champion has also won bronze in two World Championships in addition to his Athens Olympic Games title.

Two Ethiopians have run under 2 hours 7 minutes. Deriba Merga of Ethiopia has a personal best of 2:06:38, while his teammate 2008 Paris Marathon winner Tsegay Kebede has run 2:06:40.

Martin Lel of Kenya brings this year's fastest time of 2:05:15 into the event. Lel won his third London Marathon in 2008 and has also won the New York Marathon twice. Lel's chances will depend on how well he has recovered from a ligament tear he suffered in his left ankle earlier in the year.

2007 world champion Luke Kibet and world half marathon record holder Samuel Kamau Wansiru will join Lel in an effort to win Kenya's first Olympic Games gold medal in this event.

The Men's Marathon will be competed on the last day of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games on the streets of Beijing on August 24.

Jaouad Gharib Interview

 

Have your preparations been good?

I am very happy with my preparation which I have done in Morocco. My main goal is to do as well as possible and go for the gold.

Does the absence of marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, who chose to run the 10,000m, open the door to the rest?

Having Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia there or not doesn’t change anything.

Everyone is here for the Olympics, it’s not like a marathon in London or Paris, everyone has a chance to win and everyone is here to win, my preparation doesn’t change.

You have to fear everyone in the race.

Do you feel the pressure before the race?

In the big marathons like the Olympics I do feel some stress but as soon as the gun goes off I don’t think about anything else than trying to win.

Mubarak Hassan Shami Interview

 

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How is your fitness?

Fitness and mind is tough because I have a small injury. When you have this injury in you leg and you are an athlete and you have something that disturbs you, even your mind is not the same as a normal athlete you know.

Does the absence of marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, who chose to run the 10,000m, open the door to the rest?

Gebrselassie you notice that this climate is not possible to run, because a high altitude of 4000 here is sea leval and it is humid and it is very hot, it is impossible, for him to run a competition like this, obviously he will die, because it is very tough..ha ha.. Because he is a stong athlete a competition like this does not need people like Gebreselassie because his capacity engine is very big gallon so when he tries to move with these conditions, absolutely he will not finish!

What is special about the Olympics?

You know, accordingy to me it is like everything, to become an Olympic Champion is a very big reward, nothing compares to a medal here.

 

Kenya's Samuel Kamau Wansiru Sets New Olympic Record to Win Beijing Olympics Marathon

Samuel Kamau Wansiru of Kenya set a new Olympic Record in the marathon with a time of 2:06:32 to win the Beijing Olympics Marathon. Wansiru is the first marathoner representing Kenya to ever win a Men's Marathon at the Olympics. His Olympic record time of 2:06:32 beats the long standing olympic record of 2:09:21 set by Carlos Lopes of Portugal at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

Summer Olympics - Kenyan-born Jaouad Gharib & Mubarak Hassan Shami Preview Olympics Marathon

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