Deriba Merga to lead strong Ethiopian team for Chicago Marathon
CHICAGO – Deriba Merga and Tsegaye Kebede will lead a strong Ethiopian team for the 33rd edition of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, which will be held here on October 10, 2010.
The Ethiopian men’s team includes: Deriba Merga, the 2009 Boston Marathon champion, Tsegaye Kebede who won this year’s London Marathon (2:05.19), Feyisa Lelisa, who has a personal best 2:05:23 and Negari terfa, 3rd place finisher at the 2009 Berlin Marathon.
Although all eyes will be on Deriba and Tsegaye, 20-year old Lilesa is an up-and coming and one of the most exiting young athletes in the Ethiopian team. He ran near-world record pace through 35 kilometers at the Rotterdam Marathon in April before finishing fourth in 2:05:23, making him the youngest man in history to break 2:06 for the marathon.
The Ethiopian women’s team will feature Astede Baysa, the two-time Paris Marathon champion, Askale Tafa Magarsa, runner-up at the 2008 Berlin Marathon, and Mamitu Daksa, the 2010 Dubai Marathon champion.
A complete roster of elite athletes for the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon follows:
Men
| Name | Country | Personal Record |
| Sammy Wanjiru | KEN | 2:05:10 |
| Vincent Kipruto | KEN | 2:05:13 |
| Tsegaye Kebede | ETH | 2:05:18 |
| Feyisa Lilesa | ETH | 2:05:23 |
| Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot | KEN | 2:05:52 |
| Deriba Merga | ETH | 2:06:38 |
| Negari Terfa | ETH | 2:07:41 |
Women
| Name | Country | Personal Record |
| Irina Mikitenko | GER | 2:19:19 |
| Askale Tafa Magarsa | ETH | 2:21:31 |
| Naoko Sakamoto | JPN | 2:21:51 |
| Liliya Shobukhova | RUS | 2:22:00 |
| Atsede Baysa | ETH | 2:22:04 |
| Mamitu Daska | ETH | 2:24:19 |
