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Boston champion Negussie joins reigning London and New York City champs
Multi-Olympic medalists Tulu and Wami enter women's field
NEW YORK - Reigning Boston Marathon champion Hailu Negussie of Ethiopia will run the ING New York City Marathon 2005, it was announced by New York Road Runners president and CEO and race director Mary Wittenberg. Negussie joins a men's field that is the deepest and fastest in the history of the race, including world record holder Paul Tergat of Kenya and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi of the United States.
"Individually they are all stars, but together they make a galaxy of greats," Wittenberg said of the men's talent assembled for the 36th running of the race on Sunday, November 6. "This is as good as it gets."
Tergat, 36, set a world record of 2:04:55 at the 2003 real Berlin Marathon, a mark that stood up to a challenge by the legendary Haile Gebrselassie in Amsterdam on October 16. Keflezighi, 30, won the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic marathon, then finished second at the ING New York City Marathon in 2:09:53 just 10 weeks later.
Also in the New York field are defending champion (2:09:28) Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, 2005 Flora London Marathon winner Martin Lel of Kenya (also the 2003 ING New York City Marathon champ) and New York course record holder and 2001 champion (2:07:43) Tesfaye Jifar of Ethiopia.
Negussie, 27, joined that trio of "Big Five" marathon champions with his victory at Boston this year. In the biggest win of his career, Negussie outlasted the field in warm conditions to win in 2:11:45. His victory was the first by an Ethiopian man in Boston since Abebe Mekonnen in 1989.
Derartu Tulu and Gete Wami are two of the most decorated athletes in Ethiopia's rich tradition of distance running. Both will be making their ING New York City Marathon debuts.
Tulu, 33, won three Olympic medals at 10,000 meters - gold in 1992 and 2000 and bronze in 2004 - and was the 2001 Flora London Marathon champion. She finished fourth in a personal best time of 2:23:30 at the World Championships Marathon in Helsinki last August.
Wami, 30, won Olympic medals at 5000 meters (bronze, 2000) and 10,000 meters (bronze, 1996; silver, 2000) and is the Ethiopian marathon record holder (2:22:19, Amsterdam 2002).
New York Road Runners officials also announced that reigning two-time men's world marathon champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco has withdrawn, citing difficulty in recovering completely after winning his second world marathon title in Helsinki in August.
source RunningUSA
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