UAE: ATHLETICS - Haile Gebrselassie aiming to break his own marathon world record in Dubai.

Record ID: 741760

  • Title: UAE: ATHLETICS - Haile Gebrselassie aiming to break his own marathon world record in Dubai.
  • Date: 17th January 2008
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASKED HOW HE WAS FEELING TWO DAYS AHEAD OF THE RACE, WORLD MARATHON RECORD HOLDER HAILE GEBRSELASSIE, SAYING: "Well, I can't say, (until) after the race. Well, I'm really I'm happy...I'm really good. We'll see. As I told you, right now everything is perfect and it will be more when it's Friday, it will be more perfect after the race. We'll see." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD MARATHON RECORD HOLDER HAILE GEBRSELASSIE, SAYING: "Of course, a marathon is not an easy event and as you say Friday is going to be something... a special day for all of us. Everybody is looking just to do something and of course, our top priority is not the money, our top priority, you know, is the race. Without it something that is nothing. We have to do something and that's why myself and others, we are ready to do something. We'll see." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD MARATHON RECORD HOLDER HAILE GEBRSELASSIE, SAYING: "I've been coming for the last, how many years? Since 1991. And it is the first time I see rain in Dubai. I think this is something good for us, just to clear the air." JOURNALISTS AT NEW CONFERENCE END OF NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 1st February 2008 12:00
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  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA6U7M7WU9G11UCB6CJAKEUSMG5
  • Story Text: Marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie says winning the race is his top priority for Friday's Dubai Marathon.
    World marathon record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia smiled at journalists as they asked him how he felt ahead of the Dubai marathon, where he will try to break his own world record.
    In a news conference on Wednesday (January 16) Gebrselassie said everything was "perfect" ahead of the Dubai Marathon taking place in Dubai on Friday (January 18).
    "Well, I can't say, after the race. Well, I'm really I'm happy...I'm really good. We'll see. As I told you, right now everything is perfect and it will be more when it's Friday, it will be more perfect after the race. We'll see," the 34-year-old Ethiopian champion said.
    Gebrselassie, who has set 26 world records, will be paced by former world half-marathon champion Fabiano Joseph of Tanzania and the winner of the 2002 Boston and New York marathons Rodgers Rop of Kenya.
    The prize pot for Dubai is $1 million with a record $250,000 for the winners of the men's and women's races. If Gebrselassie does break the world record he will earn a bonus of $1 million.
    But he insisted his top priority is not the money.
    "Of course, a marathon is not an easy event and as you say Friday is going to be something... a special day for all of us. Everybody is looking just to do something and of course, our top priority is not the money, our top priority, you know, is the race. Without it something that is nothing. We have to do something and that's why myself and others we are ready to do something.
    We'll see," he said.
    Gebrselassie clocked two hours, four minutes, 26 seconds in Berlin in September to break the world marathon record of 2:04:55 set by Kenyan Paul Tergat, also in Berlin, in September 2003.
    The Dubai marathon is taking place during a week which has seen some of the heaviest rain in the region. Weather forecasts show that more rain is expected in many part of the region until the end of the week. Marathon organisers said that this will not affect the event from taking place.
    The race will probably be the Ethiopian's last marathon before the Olympic Games in Beijing in August.
    "I've been coming for the last, how many years? Since 1991. And it is the first time I see rain in Dubai. I think this is something good for us, just to clear the air," said Gebrselassie.
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