2024 Rotterdam Marathon: A Tribute to Kelvin Kiptum and Elite Competition Highlights
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The Rotterdam Marathon will hold its next edition this Sunday, April 14th. This edition will honor the memory of the renowned Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum, who had chosen this race as part of his preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Unfortunately, a tragic accident on February 11th cut short his aspirations.
Just before the start, participants in the Rotterdam race will commemorate Kiptum with a minute of silence, as announced by the organizers in a statement this Wednesday.
The 2024 edition of the Rotterdam Marathon will feature prominent participation from Ethiopian Birhanu Legese, who stands as the undisputed favorite. Legese is the only runner to have achieved a time under two hours and three minutes, along with two victories at the prestigious Tokyo major. His presence adds an extra level of excitement and anticipation to this top-tier sporting event.
Legese's personal best is 2:02:48, set in Berlin in 2019. That same year, he won the Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:04:48, which he improved in 2020 to 2:04:15.
Legese's goal, apart from winning in Rotterdam, is to break the course record, currently held by Belgian Bashir Abdi since 2021 with a time of 2:03:36, the best European record.
Also on the start line this Sunday will be Dutch athlete Abdi Nageeye from the NN Running Team, returning to compete in this Rotterdam edition. A professional long-distance runner, he holds the Dutch marathon record and an Olympic silver medal. In 2022, Nageeye became the first athlete from the Netherlands to win in Rotterdam with a time of 2:04:56.
Kenyan Kenneth Kipkemoi will also be at the start line, with a personal best of 2:04:52 from his victory in Eindhoven in 2023.
The Rotterdam Marathon record has been held since 2021 by Belgian Bashir Abdi with a time of 2:03:35.
The Rotterdam Marathon will be broadcast live in various countries around the world. For more information on how to watch the event live, visit the Watch Athletics page here.
