Kenyan duo keen to upset Vienna City Marathon pre-race favourite on Sunday
Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 13.03.26. | 18:36
The men's course record of 2:05:08, set by Samwel Mailu in 2023, could be under threat
Oqbe Kibrom will return to the start line of the Vienna City Marathon on Sunday, 19 April, hoping to become the first Eritrean runner to win the men’s race on his second attempt.
Kibrom was third at Austria’s most spectacular road race in 2022 and heads the current start list with a personal best (PB) of 2:05:37.
Follow Our WhatsApp Channel For More News
When Kibrom raced in Vienna four years ago, it looked like he could make history.
Once the last pacemaker dropped out after the 30km point, he surged ahead and seemed on course to become the first Eritrean to win in the Austrian capital.
However, Kibrom had tried too hard. While he could not hold the pace, the eventual winner, Kenya's Cosmas Muteti, came from behind and passed him with five kilometres to go.
Kibrom finished third with 2:07:25. While there has been an Eritrean women’s winner in Vienna, no runner from Eritrea has taken the men’s race.
With three sub-2:06:00 times in his career so far, Kibrom has consistently produced fine marathon performances.
While Vienna stands out because it was his best race with regard to a podium finish, the Eritrean clocked his PB of 2:05:37 in Berlin when he was eighth two years ago.
In 2025, he ran another fine marathon, taking fourth place in Daegu, South Korea, with 2:06:04.
The Eritrean will be challenged by three athletes who achieved their PB's two years ago.
Ethiopia’s Tafese Delegen, who ran 2:06:11 in Seville, Kenya's Stanley Kurgat, who clocked 2:07:05 in Berlin, finishing seven places behind Kibrom.
Also in the race is Albert Kangogo, runner-up in Mersin, Turkey, in December with 2:07:26.
Kangogo knows the Vienna City Marathon well. He was third here two years ago in 2:10:44.