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World Marathon Majors Update after Worlds By David Monti (c) 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
OSAKA
(02-Sep) -- The marathons at the 11th IAAF World Championships in
Athletics had some impact on the World Marathon Majors leaderboards for
both the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons, an analysis by Race Results
Weekly showed. A $1,000,000 purse will be split between the top male
and female point earners at the conclusion of each two-year season.
On
the men's side, the impact on the 2006/2007 season, which wraps up
after the ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 4, was muted. Kenya's
Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot remains on top of the standings with 75
points, an unassailable total. Even if he were not to compete in a
fall marathon his nearest challenger, Martin Lel with 40 points, cannot
catch him even if Lel wins a fall Major. Twenty five points are
awarded for first, 15 for second, 10, 5, and 1. Newly crowned world
champion, Luke Kibet, is now in a four-way tie for fourth with 25
points.
Looking at the 2007/2008 season, three men are tied with
25 points --Cheruiyot, Lel and Kibet-- after each earned victories at
the Boston, Flora London and World Championships Marathons,
respectively.
The women's competition for the 2006/2007 season
is the most interesting. Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia is in the lead
with 55 points over Gete Wami of Ethiopia with 40. Prokopcuka will run
the ING New York City Marathon and Wami will run the real,- Berlin
Marathon, organizers have already announced. But with excellent
performances here in Osaka, Zhou Chunxiu of China (silver medal) and
Catherine Ndereba of Kenya (gold medal) have moved up in the standings.
Zhou is now tied with Gete Wami for second place with 40 points, and
Ndereba is now tied with compatriot Rita Jeptoo with 35 points in
fourth place.
Zhou, Jeptoo and Ndereba now have the possibility
of winning the overall Majors women's title if they run in a fall major
and win, and Prokopcuka and Wami run poorly. Because the points
awarded favor the top-3 finishers so heavily, one fifth place finish by
an athlete would only earn them one point and could potentially put
them out of contention for the title. In the event of a tie, the
winner will be determined by any head-to-head meetings between the tied
athletes during the season. If there were no head-to-head meetings,
the tie will be broken by a vote amongst the five World Marathon Majors
race directors.
In the 2007/2008 season, Zhou is the points
leader with 40 points (1st London and 2nd World Champs), followed by
2007 Boston Marathon champion Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia and Ndereba
who are tied for second with 25 points. Prokopcuka, who was second at
Boston in 2007, is tied for fourth with Wami with 15 points.
The next event in the series is the real,- Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 30.
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