Two road race greats are set to square it out at the eagerly awaited 2022 BMW Berlin Marathon scheduled for Sunday, September 25.
Marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge will line up against Ethiopia’s Guye Idemo Adola in one of the most competitive road races of the 2022 season.
The East African duo last met in 2017 with Adola running shoulder to shoulder with Kipchoge until the final stages of the race when the Kenyan legend produced an impressive kick to bag his second title.
Adola, who is six years younger than Kipchoge, is currently in the form of his life. The 2018 Houston Half Marathon winner is expected to give Kipchoge a run for his money in the streets of the German capital.
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Kipchoge goes into the race as the favourite, having run five marathons under 2:05.00. He also currently holds three of the five fastest times in the history of marathon running.
The Kaptagat-based athlete broke the world record in Berlin in 2018 when he produced a monstrous performance to cross the finishing line in 2:01.39.
Speaking ahead of the showdown, Kipchoge disclosed that he intends to run a course record in Berlin.
“I still believe that I can run a course record in Berlin, if not a world record it is a course record. I don’t know which one will come in, but I will call it a course record,” stated Kipchoge.
Adola has only managed to finish a single marathon in less than 2:05.00. His personal best of 2:03.46 was set in 2017 when he finished second behind Kipchoge.
Although Kipchoge has defeated Adola in all the races that they have lined up together, the Ethiopian is the man likely threat to Eliud's proverbial throne.
Should Kipchoge emerge victorious on Sunday, he will equal Gebrselassie’s record of four wins in Berlin.
Kipchoge has registered three wins since making his Berlin Marathon debut in 2013.
On the other hand, Adola had to wait for five years since making his debut before finally winning a marathon race.
His first win came at the 2021 Berlin edition and he did so in fantastic fashion, reaching the tape in 2:05.45 ahead of Kenyan international Bethwel Yegon and former 5,000m world record holder Kenenisa Bekele.