Vivian Cheruiyot headlines Paris Marathon in return

After two and a half years away from competitive racing, four-time Olympian Vivian Cheruiyot made a comeback with a fifth-place (1:11:26) finish at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon in October 2023.

Pocket Rocket as the multiple world champion is commonly referred to, will make another comeback of sorts on 7 April when she lines up for her first marathon since 2019 when she raced in Valencia. 

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Cheruiyot headlines this year's Paris Marathon. The 2018 London Marathon winner in a personal best (PB) time of 2:18:31 and runner-up in the same year's New York Marathon may have been out of the game for close to five years but she remains a favourite. 

Her toughest challenge will come from Ethiopia's formidable lineup that includes Buzunesh Getachew, winner in Frankfurt last October in a 2:19:27, Rahma Tusa (2:19:33), Etagena Woldu (2:20:03), Hailu Haven (2:20:19) and Gelete Burka (2:20:45), winner of the 2019 Schneider Electric Marathon in Paris. 

Mestawut Fikir and Enatnesh Tirusew, both showcasing impressive performances in the half-marathon circuit in 2023, are poised to make their marathon debut and could spring surprises on race day.

Meanwhile, in the men's race, a replica of the women's race, where Kenyans battle mainly Ethiopians, is expected.

Over the past two decades, Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes have clinched victory in 19 out of the last 20 editions, with Kenya boasting 11 wins and Ethiopia following closely with 8.

The Women's race has the two countries sharing all the trophies with Kenyan carrying 8 at the moment. 

This year, Gisealew Ayana, the 21-year-old Ethiopian who secured victory last year with a remarkable time of 2:07:15 aims for a double that only Britain’s Steve Brace (1989 and 1990) and, more recently, Kenya’s Paul Lonyangata (2017 and 2018) have achieved. 

Ayana faces tough competition from a field of contenders, including seven runners with impressive times under 2:05.

Among the other contenders is veteran Kenyan Elisha Rotich, who returns to the marathon scene after a two-year absence. 

Rotich, is the winner of the 2021 Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris and holder of the event record with a time of 2:04:21. He is joined by fellow Kenyans Hilary Kipsambu, Brimin Kipkorir, and Titus Kipruto, all boasting formidable PB's.