Valencia, Spain; December 1, 2024 - The Australian men’s marathon record has fallen in spectacular fashion in Spain, with Olympian Andy Buchanan delivering a career-defining performance, while Isobel Batt-Doyle soared to third on the Australian all-time list at the Valencia Marathon tonight.
Kibrom Weldemicael, the winner of the 2024 Geneva Marathon, has been disqualified and handed a six-year ban after testing positive for banned substances. The Eritrean athlete, who finished the race in 2:09:57, will be ineligible to compete until 2030, tarnishing what had been an impressive season.
In the men’s race, Tsegay Weldlibanos, competing as an asylum athlete originally from Eritrea, claimed victory with a blistering time of 2:07:35. This time not only earned him the title but also broke Jerry Lawson’s long-standing course record of 2:10:27, which had stood for an impressive 31 years. Weldlibanos’s victory was made even more remarkable by his near-three-minute margin over the previous record. Runner-up CJ Albertson of Fresno, Calif., also finished under the former record at 2:10:06, securing second place. Albertson's ability to maintain such a high level of consistency in 2024, finishing every marathon under 2:11, highlighted his remarkable endurance.
