Lisbon
Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi, the five-kilometre world record holder, has picked the EDP Lisbon
Half Marathon for his debut over the 21-kilometre distance.
The third fastest athlete ever in the 10km confirmed his 21km debut in Lisbon a week after
organisers announced the participation of world record holder Ruth Chep’ngetich for the
Lisbon race scheduled for March 9.
Aregawi, 23, is the 5km world record holder (12:49, Barcelona 2021) and the third fastest
athlete ever in both the 10km (26:33, Laredo 2023) and the 3,000 metres (7:21.28, Chorzów
2024).
Now, he is set to make his half marathon debut in the Portuguese capital, after a
breakthrough year in which he won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the Paris 2024
Olympic Games.
The young Ethiopian believes this is the right time to take this step, following a dedicated
training period. “I’m excited to announce that I will make my debut in the distance on March 9 at the EDP
Lisbon Half Marathon. I’ve trained well over the past few months to prepare for this race,
and I can’t wait to run fast,” said Aregawi to the event organizers.
In addition to his Olympic silver medal in Paris 2024, Aregawi also finished fourth in the
10,000 metres at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, a position he repeated in the 2023 World
Championships in Budapest.He is also a two-time silver medalist in the World Cross Country Championships (2023 and2024).
With this announcement, Lisbon reaffirms its status as a premier destination for elite
athletes and debutants looking for a fast, flat, and record-breaking course. (Maratona
Clube de Portugal)
Official Programme:
(Local times)
Thursday, Friday & Saturday, March 6, 7, and 8:
SportExpo – 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, March 8:
09:30 AM – Hyundai 7K
11:00 AM – Mimosa Family Walk
04:00 PM – EDP New Generation
Sunday, March 9:
09:30 AM – EDP Lisbon Half Marathon
10:05 AM – Vodafone 10K
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