Champions Back to Defend Titles In This Year's Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore

Champions Back to Defend Titles In This Year's Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore

Singapore, 30 November 2012 - This year's Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (SCMS) will feature a contingent of elite athletes including winners and record holders from previous editions. Defending champions, Charles Mwai Kanyao, and Irene Jerotich Kosgei, both from Kenya, will be amongst the world-class international elite runners at the start line of this International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Gold Label race.

2. "We are delighted to welcome such a strong field of elite athletes to this year's race. I'm particularly pleased to see several former champions of the SCMS returning and with several other top contenders in the mix, there is growing recognition of the SCMS as one of the top marathons. Given the fast times of this field, my fingers are crossed for a new course record.", said Mr Lim Teck Yin, Chief Executive Officer, SSC and Chairman, SCMS 2012 Organising Committee.

Battle of the Champions

3. The SCMS 2012 will see a total of 24 international elite athletes from seven different countries taking part in the Full Marathon race category. Featuring athletes from Belarus, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Russia, Ukraine and USA, they will begin their race under the Christmas lights along Orchard Road together with 19,200 Full Marathon and Ekiden runners.

4. Reigning champion, Charles Mwai Kanyao will face fierce competition from compatriot, Luke Kibet for the top prize of US$50,000 this year. After a two-year hiatus from Singapore, two-time SCMS champion and course record holder (2:11:25), Luke Kibet will set the pace for the other runners looking to get their names into the record book.

5. To complete the challenge is Kenneth Mungara. He clocked a personal best of 2:07:36, four minutes quicker than Kibet's record, at last year's Prague Marathon and all eyes will be on him to see if he can repeat that stunning performance here in Singapore.

6. Others to watch include IAAF-certified Gold level runners from Kenya, Daniel Kiprugut Too of Kenya, who topped Milan Marathon 2012 with a timing of 2:08:39 and Samson Kiprono Barmao who has just achieved his personal best of 2:08:52 in the Rome Marathon early this year.

7. In the Women's Open category, Irene Jerotich Kosgei of Kenya returns to defend her title. Enjoying an impressive season, Kosgei finished first in the Milan Marathon earlier this year with a respectable 2:31:07 and a win on Dec 2 will make this her third consecutive victory for the SCMS.

8. SCMS 2011 Women's Open runner-up Roman Gebregessese of Ethiopia will reignite the rivalry with Kosgei and aim to pip Kosgei to the finish line. Other contenders in the women's open category include fellow Ethiopian Shitaye Gemechu (2:26:10) and Ivanova Alevtina (2:26:38) of Russia, who hold the top two personal best timings in the category.

Local runners look to set new records

9. Having won the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore for three consecutive years since 2009, champion of the local men's category Mok Ying Ren is also returning to defend his title. Challenging his dominance in this route is last year's runner-up Ang Chee Yong. Anne Qi Hui will be looking to retain her crown in the local women's category for the fourth consecutive time this year, having just set a personal best and new national record time of 1:23:16 at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.

10. The SCMS 2012 will see 53,000 runners participating in the Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km and Kids Dash. Featuring three different routes, runners will take in the full spectrum of iconic landmarks in Singapore including Orchard Road, Universal Studios Singapore, Sentosa, Singapore Flyer and Gardens by the Bay.

Annexes

Annex A: List of Elite Athletes
Annex B: Profiles of Top Elite Athletes
Annex C: SCMS Race Results (2009 - 2011)

Annex A: List of Elite Athletes

Annex B: Profiles of Top Elite Athletes

1. Charles Mwai Kanyao
Gender: Male
Country: Kenya
Birth Date: 20 April 1976

Personal Records:
Full Marathon: 2:14:14

Charles Mwai Kenyao is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in the Marathon. Kenyao achieved his first major marathon victory in Singapore last year, clinching the title at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore with a time of 2:14:34. Kenyao was also runner-up in Kuala Lumpur Marathon in June this year.

Career Highlights:
2009 Khon Kaen Marathon (2:14:14) – Personal Best
2010 Bangkok Marathon, Second (2:17:09)
2011 Singapore Marathon, Champion (2:14:34)
2012 Kuala Lumpur Marathon, Second (2:15:51)

2. Kenneth Mburu Mungara
Gender: Male
Country: Kenya
Birth Date: 7 September 1973

Personal Records:
Full Marathon: 2:07:36

Kenneth Mburu Mungara was the champion of the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2010 with a time of 2:14:06, his first time competing in the Republic. Mungara also broke his personal record the next year at the 2011 Prague Marathon with a time of 2:07:36. Mungara then moved on to clinch the champion’s title in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, making it his fourth consecutive year in winning that title from 2008 to 2011.

Career Highlights:
2008 Tiberias Marathon, Second (2:10:37)
2008 Prague Marathon, Champion (2:11:06)
2008 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Champion (2:11:01)
2009 Mumbai Marathon, Champion (2:11:51) - Course Record
2009 Prague Marathon, Third (2:10:29)
2009 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Champion (2:08:32) – Course & Canadian Record
2010 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Champion (2:07:58) – Course & Canadian Record
2010 Singapore Marathon, Champion (2:14:32)
2011 Prague Marathon, Champion (2:07:36)
2011 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Champion (2:09:51)

3. Luke Kibet
Gender: Male
Country: Kenya
Birth Date: 12 April 1983

Personal Records:
Full Marathon: 2:08:52

The current course record holder (2:11:25) and two-time SCMS champion, Luke Kibet is also the champion at the 2007 World Championships 2007 in a time of 2:15:59 hours, making it the first Kenyan marathon victory at the World Championships since Douglas Wakiihuri in 1987. His personal best time is 2:08:52 hours, achieved in October 2005 in Eindhoven where he finished third. In 2008, he won the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore with a course record of 2:13:01. Kibet successfully defended his title in 2009, breaking his own course record at 2:11:25.

Career Highlights:
2007 Vienna Marathon, Champion (2:10:07)
2007 Osaka World Championships, Champion (2:15:59)
2008 Singapore Marathon, Champion (2:13:01) – Course Record
2009 Singapore Marathon, Champion (2:11:25) – Course Record

4. Irene Jerotich Kosgei
Gender: Female
Country: Kenya
Birth Date: 9 August 1974

Personal Records:
Full Marathon: 2:28:57

Having been crowned the women’s champion since 2010 (2:35:22) and 2011 (2:36:42), Irene Jerotich Kosgei is no stranger to the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore. Her first victory over the distance came at the Nairobi Marathon in 2006 and she won the race again in 2010 with a course record and personal best time of 2:28:47. She is also the first Kenyan woman to win in the 2010 Commonwealth Games marathon with a timing of 2:34:32.

Career Highlights:
2008 Nairobi Marathon, Second (2:37:08)
2009 Tiberias Marathon, Champion (2:39:07)
2009 Nairobi Marathon, Champion (2:28:57) – Course record
2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games Marathon, Champion (2:34:32)
2010 Singapore Marathon, Champion (2:35:22)
2011 Singapore Marathon, Champion (2:36:42)
2012 Milan Marathon, Champion (2:31:07)

5. Shitaye Gemechu
Gender: Female
Country: Ethiopia
Birth Date: 17 June 1980

Personal Records:
Marathon: 2:26:24

Shitaye Gemechu is an Ethiopian long-distance runner specialising in marathon races. Being the women's champion at the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon for 2004 and 2006, Gemechu first came to prominence with a win at the 2001 Amsterdam Marathon (2:28:40). She then went on to represent Ethiopia in the marathon at the World Championships till 2007. In 2011, the 32 year old returned to competition and was placed fouth at the Torino Marathon. She was also a runner-up in Hong Kong earlier this year with a timing of 2:31:44.

Career Highlights:
2001 Amsterdam Marathon, Champion (2:28:40)
2004 Arizona Marathon, Champion (2:31:33)
2006 Arizona Marathon, Champion (2:31:44)
2011 Torino Marathon, Fouth (2:30:55)
2012 Hong Kong Marathon, Second (2:31:44)

Annex C: SCMS Race Results (2009 - 2011)