Who are the favorites for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Marathon - all against Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei!

Two key dates in the closing of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: Saturday, August 7 and Sunday, August 8, 2021, starting at 00:00. In other words: the Olympic women's marathon and the Olympic men's marathon at Tokyo 2020. All these names are dreaming of winning gold, silver and bronze medals in both the men's and women's events.

The road to the starting line has been long and arduous, as it always is when it comes to getting a bib to compete in the marathon of marathons. Let's take a look at the favorites for both the women's Olympic marathon and the men's Olympic marathon competition. Apart from all these names that are set to shine on the asphalt of Sapporo, RUNNEA also presents the complete list of participants in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Marathon, including Spanish athletes.

All the favorites for the women's marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The favorites for the women's marathon at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which will take place on Saturday, August 7, 2021 at 00:00 (Spanish time) are the Kenyans and the Ethiopians. The rival to beat will be the Kenyan athlete Brigid Kosgei, who holds the current world record for the distance2.14:04).

Her world record of 2 hours and 14 minutes relegates, at first sight, her main pursuers to more than 3 minutes. However, this record dates back to October 2019, when she last ran the London 2020 Marathon, victoria and time of 2.18:58. A good dozen athletes already have times like that, so they are capable of joining the battle for a podium spot. In addition, Brigid has always achieved excellent times in the marathon with climates . So the question remains, what will happen on Saturday with the hot and humid conditions on the marathon course in Sapporo, and is it possible for any Kenyan or Ethiopian to compete for the victoria? So, the athlete from Israel, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter may be one of the "dark horses" in the women's competition and pull off the "big Olympic upset".

On paper, the Ethiopian athletes Worknesh Degefa, Roza Dereje and Azmera Abreha are the ones who have to make things difficult for the Kenyan athletes. In the list of medal candidates, the athletes of the United States team: Sara Hall, Keira D'Amato and Emily Sisson, whose high competitive level will make them be in the top positions. Of course, the members of the Japanese team are spurred on by the fact that they are racing at home and by the long tradition that Japanese athletes have with the long distance. Thus, Mao Ichiyama, Mizuki Matsuda and Yuka Ando will seek to be protagonists in the race.

On the other hand, the Spanish female "armada" will be formed by Marta Galimany, Elena Loyo and Laura Méndez. A priori none of them is in the pools, because they are far from the records of the Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes, but, in adverse conditions of heat and humidity, anything can happen.

Tokyo 2020 men's Olympic marathon favorites

Turn for the boys, so we talk about the favorites for the Tokyo 2020 men's Olympic marathon competition. Will we see the coronation, without a battle, of king Eliud Kipchoge? With the announced withdrawal of his great rival, Kenenisa Bekele, who with his 2.01:41 mark in the 2019 Berlin Marathon, pointed as the only athlete who could overshadow Kipchoge. Does this mean that Kipchoge will win an Olympic title barely without a flutter in the Japanese capital's Sapporo Park? Not by a long shot! Mostly because the quiet, humble, hard-working and brilliant man, if he is able to dominate the race, it will be the result of hard work and sacrifice.

Although all athletes are aware of what to expect in the marathon with hot and humid conditions in the 42k Olympic event, in normal conditions, and more Autumn weather in Germany, UK or northern USA, Eliud Kipchoge would be the clear favorite, but this Sunday, August 8, the marathon world record holder and company will have to deal with extreme weather conditions, and these will surely be decisive in the final outcome of the race, and of course will influence the distribution of Olympic medals as has already been seen in the men's triathlon and women's triathlon competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

All of this points to the pace being slower than expected, but Kipchoge cannot relax, despite Bekele's absence. As many as 14 male athletes have a sub 2 hour 5 minute time. Kipchoge's compatriots Evans Chebet and Tito Ekiru, as well as the three Ethiopian team members Birhanu Leges, Mosinet Geremew and Mula Wasihun are clearly in contention to spoil Eliud Kipchoge's "gold party foretold" at Tokyo 2020. Other possible candidates to keep an eye on are Turkey's Kaan Kigen Özbilen and Japan's Kengo Suzuki, who could also be in contention and will be looking to spring a surprise.

Ayad Lamdassem, Hamid Ben Daoud and Javi Guerra will be the representatives of the "Spanish armada" in the men's competition, and are called to perform well and finish these 42 kilometers in Tokyo 2020 with the best sensations. It will be an epic feat! So from 00:00 hours (in Spain) on Sunday, August 8, 2020, all the attention will be on the marathon runners. Don't be late, the thing promises, but is that just over 2 hours and a half, the queen event of the Olympic Games, will be over.

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List of participants in the Women's Olympic Marathon Tokyo 2020

To say that the places to get an Olympic bib have been expensive is an understatement. 92 women will take the start on Saturday, August 7 to run three laps of the Sapporo course to complete the 42-kilometer, 195-meter marathon. Here is the list of participants with the time and place they validated their ticket to the Olympics.

List of participants in the Tokyo 2020 Men's Olympic Marathon.

An Olympic ticket for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic marathon comes at a price: being able to run under 2 hours 11 minutes and 30 seconds. Added to that is the requirement of only 3 runners per country. In addition, 20 Kenyans and 20 Ethiopians will be watching the marathon games on TV, all have made the minimums, but ahead of them will run very very fast. This is the list of the participants in the men's Olympic marathon in Tokyo 2020 with the time that gave them the ticket to reach the Olympic Games in the Japanese capital.