FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Two-time Champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos and
Three-time Olympian Kayoko Fukushi Cap
Powerful International Field for 2012 ING New York City Marathon
Morocco's two-time Olympian Abderrahime Bouramdane and Great Britain's
Olympic marathoner Scott Overall join remarkable roster of previously
announced male runners for November 4 race
2011 runner-up Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia and national record-holders
Valeria Straneo of Italy and Adriana Da Silva of Brazil fill women's
international field
2011 winner Masazumi Soejima of Japan and runner-up Shelly Woods of Great
Britain announced for the men's and women's wheelchair races
New York, September 19, 2012-Two-time champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos of
Brazil and three-time Olympian Kayoko Fukushi of Japan will add fierce
competition to the already stacked men's and women's fields in the 2012 ING
New York City Marathon. Joining Gomes dos Santos in the men's race will be
Olympic marathoners Abderrahime Bouramdane of Morocco and Great Britain's
Scott Overall. 2011 runner-up Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia and national
record-holders Valeria Straneo of Italy and Adriana Da Silva of Brazil will
add to the women's field, it was announced today by New York Road Runners
president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.
2011 winner Masazumi Soejima of Japan and runner-up Shelly Woods of Great
Britain were announced for the men's and women's wheelchair races.
Nationally, the telecast will be available on ESPN2, online at
WatchESPN.com, and-for fans who receive their video subscription from an
affiliated provider-on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app.
Locally, New Yorkers can watch the race on WABC-TV and 7online.com.
Previously announced runners for the men's race include 2009 champion Meb
Keflezighi (USA), 2010 champion Gebre Gebremariam (Ethiopia), Olympic
bronze medalist Wilson Kipsang (Kenya), 2011 Bank of America Chicago
Marathon winner Moses Mosop (Kenya), four-time U.S. Olympian Abdi
Abdirahman, 2012 Boston Marathon fourth-placer Jason Hartmann (USA), and
2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials fifth-placer Brett Gotcher.
In the women's race, previously announced runners include Olympic marathon
gold medalist Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia), bronze medalist Tatyana Arkhipova
(Russia), defending champion Firehiwot Dado (Ethiopia), 2010 champion Edna
Kiplagat (Kenya), 2012 Boston winner Sharon Cherop (Kenya), New Zealand
Olympian Kim Smith, 2012 U.S. Olympians Julie Culley, Amy Hastings, and
Janet Bawcom, and top U.S. contenders Michelle Frey, Alisha Williams,
Serena Burla, and Molly Pritz.
Previously announced wheelers include Krige Schabort, Adam Bleakney, and
Josh George in the men's race and Amanda McGrory, Tatyana McFadden, and
Shirley Reilly in the women's race, all of the USA.
"We are honored to attract such a dominant international pro field for the
2012 ING New York City Marathon," said Wittenberg. "Many of these runners
grace us year after year, and we always welcome their boundless talent and
ability to undoubtedly "wow" us. Marilson Gomes dos Santos and Kayoko
Fukishi are dedicated competitors that will surely challenge the men's and
women's field. Likewise, we look forward to hosting Olympians Abderrahime
Bouramdane and Scott Overall, and Buzunesh Deba will be a test to the
women's contest after placing second last year-it is going to be a
phenomenal race day."
Gomes dos Santos, 35, of Brazil, is a two-time winner of the ING New York
City Marathon (2006, 2008). This will be his sixth appearance in the race.
He is the South American record-holder at 5000 and 10,000 meters and the
half-marathon. Gomes dos Santos won the 2011 South American Half-Marathon
Championships in Buenos Aires last September, and he placed fourth at the
2011 Virgin London Marathon in a personal-best 2:06:34.
Bouramdane, 34, of Morocco, has twice placed in the top five at the ING New
York City Marathon. He is a two-time Olympian and the fifth-fastest
Moroccan in history with his personal-best time of 2:07:33, which he ran at
the 2010 Virgin London Marathon.
Overall, 29, of Great Britain, is a 2012 Olympian. He ran a personal-best
2:10:55 at the 2011 BMW Berlin Marathon. Overall set his half-marathon
personal best of 1:01:25 at the 2011 NYC Half.
Solonei Rocha Da Silva, 30, of Brazil, is the 2011 Pan American Games gold
medalist and has a personal best of 2:11:32. He also won the São Paulo
Marathon in June in 2:12:25-four minutes ahead of the runner-up.
Fukushi, 30, of Japan, is a three-time Olympian and the Japanese
record-holder at 3000 and 5000 meters and the half-marathon. She is also
the Asian 15K record-holder. She set a personal best of 2:24:38 at the 2011
Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
Straneo, 36, of Italy, holds the Italian record of 2:23:44, which she set
at the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon. She finished eighth at both the 2012 London
Olympic Marathon (2:25:27) and the 2011 BMW Berlin Marathon (2:26:33).
Da Silva, 31, of Brazil, won the 2011 South American Half-Marathon
Championships in Buenos Aires last September. She was the 2011 Pan American
Games Marathon gold medalist and ran a Brazilian record of 2:29:17 at the
2012 Tokyo Marathon last February.
Deba, 30, of Ethiopia, who currently resides in the Bronx, NY, was the 2011
ING New York City Marathon runner-up in a personal-best time of 2:23:19.
She won both the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon and the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego
Marathon, where she broke the course-record.
Eri Okubo, 29, of Japan, is a fast-rising marathoner with a personal best
of 2:26:08, set at the 2012 Tokyo Marathon.
Ana Dulce Félix, 29, of Portugal, is the 2012 European Championships
10,000-meter gold medalist and a two-time European Cross Country
Championships medalist. She finished fourth at the 2011 ING New York City
Marathon.
Hilda Kibet, 31, of the Netherlands, is a 2012 Olympic marathoner and was
the 2008 European Cross Country Champion. She won the 2007 NYC Half and the
2008 NYRR New York Mini 10K.
Jelena Prokopcuka, 35, of Latvia, is a two-time ING New York City Marathon
champion (2005, 2006).
The top international contenders in the wheelchair division recently
competed at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. On the men's side, Marcel
Hug of Switzerland, Australia's Kurt Fearnley, and Josh Cassidy of Canada
will headline the field; the women's field will include Wakako Tsuchida of
Japan, Sandra Graf of Switzerland, Christie Dawes of Australia, and
Canada's Diane Roy.
"The international contenders in this year's wheelchair division are coming
to New York after winning a host of medals on the track and on the roads at
the recent Paralympic Games in London," said division coordinator Bob
Laufer. "They are looking to end their 2012 racing season with more of the
same in our marathon."
Soejima, 42, was a member of the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Japanese Paralympic
teams. He placed fourth at the marathon in London this past summer. Soejima
won the 2011 Boston Marathon with a time of 1:18:50 and holds the Japanese
certified-course record for the wheelchair marathon (1:21:23). He will be
looking to defend his ING New York City Marathon crown this year.
Shelly Woods, 26, of Great Britain, has finished second in New York four
times (2011, 2009, 2007, 2006) and third in her debut (2005). She won the
2012 Virgin London Marathon and took the silver medal in the London
Paralympics Marathon.
Other top contenders in the wheelchair division:
·Kurt Fearnley, 31, of Australia, is the winner of four consecutive ING New
York City Marathon titles (2006-2009). He also won the 2011 Bank of America
Chicago Marathon. Fearnley has competed on four Paralympic teams (2000,
2004, 2008, 2012) and was the London Paralympic Games Marathon bronze
medalist, finishing one second behind the winner. He has won nine
Paralympic marathon gold medals and a World Championships Marathon gold.
·Marcel Hug, 27, of Switzerland, placed fifth at the 2011 ING New York City
Marathon and was the runner-up at the2012 Paralympic Games Marathon in
London. In 2009, he had four marathon victories and finished third at the
ING New York City Marathon. In 2010, Hug finished second at the Virgin
London Marathon and later that year won the Oita (Japan) Wheelchair
Marathon. This will be his fifth ING New York City Marathon.
·Josh Cassidy, 27, of Canada, is making his seventh appearance at the ING
New York City Marathon. He won the 2012 Boston Marathon in an
all-conditions world record time of 1:18:25 and placed 12th at the 2012
Paralympics. Cassidy won the Canadian Marathon Championships in 2009 and
both the Ottawa Marathon and the Virgin London Marathon in 2010.
·Heinz Frei, 54, of Switzerland, holds world wheelchair records from 10,000
meters (20:25.90) to 100 kilometers (3:38:50). He has won 14 Paralympic
gold medals and 12 World Championships gold medals. He was eleventh in the
marathon at the 2012 Paralympic Games.
·Kota Hokinoue, 38, of Japan, placed sixth in the London Paralympic
Marathon and was the third-place finisher at the 2011 ING New York City
Marathon.
·Tomas Hamerlak, 37, of Poland, placed eighth in the London Paralympic
Marathon and sixth at the 2011 ING New York City Marathon.
·Rafael Botello, 33 of Spain, placed ninth in the London Paralympic
Marathon and 10th at the 2011 ING New York City Marathon.
·Wakako Tsuchida, 38, of Japan, placed fifth in the London Paralympic
Marathon. She won her fifth consecutive Boston Marathon in 2011. Her time
of 1:34:06 broke the women's all-conditions marathon world record, which
had stood since 1994. Tsuchida has also won in London (2010) and Oita
(2009). She has finished third (2009) and fourth (2011) at the ING New York
City Marathon.
·Sandra Graf, 42, of Switzerland, was the bronze medalist at the 2012
Paralympic Marathon. In 2008, she won the Virgin London Marathon.
·Christie Dawes, 32, of Australia, had a successful Paralympic Games,
placing sixth in the marathon and taking the bronze medal at 5000 meters.
She finished third at the ING New York City Marathon in 2008, fourth in
2009, and fifth in 2011.
·Diane Roy, 41, of Canada, finished sixth in both the 2011 ING New York
City Marathon and the 2012 London Paralympic Marathon.
About the ING New York City Marathon
NYRR's premier event, the ING New York City Marathon is the most loved and
most inclusive marathon in the world, attracting elite athletes and
recreational runners alike for the challenge and thrill of a lifetime. The
race has grown tremendously since it began in 1970 with just 127 runners
racing four laps of Central Park. Now, more than 47,000 participants from
all over the globe flock to New York City every November for an
adrenaline-filled road tour of all five boroughs, starting on Staten Island
at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and ending in Central Park.
Some run for prize money or bragging rights, others for charity or their
personal best. All are cheered on by more than two million live spectators
and a TV audience of 330 million.
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