"The world is in an unprecedented situation
grappling with a global pandemic of COVID-19 and public health
is everyone's priority," event director Hugh Brasher said in a
statement.
Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge, who unofficially broke the two-hour
marathon barrier in Vienna last October, welcomed the news.
"I fully respect the decision made by the organization as
safeguarding the health of the world always takes our top
priority," he wrote on Twitter.
"To the thousands of runners who with me have devoted the last
months of our lives towards this goal I would like to say: Be
proud of the work you have put into this journey, keep smiling
and seek your next goal."
The postponement delays the highly-anticipated showdown between
Kipchoge and Ethiopian rival Kenenisa Bekele, the only men to go
under two hours, two minutes for the distance.
The marathon was intended to be an Olympic qualifying event for
Team GB. British Athletics said it would hold a separate
marathon trial for the Tokyo Games "in a closed location, with
limited numbers" potentially around April 25 to 27.
The Boston Marathon, another one of the six World Marathon
Majors, also announced its postponement on Friday, rescheduling
from April 20 to mid-September.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft, additional reporting by Omar
Mohammed and Amy Tennery; editing by Stephen Addison and Ken
Ferris)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](column_spacer.png) |
|