The spotlight of Sunday’s (4 December) Samsung Milano City
Marathon will be a battle between defending champion Daniel Cheribo and
his Kenyan compatriot Michael Rotich.
Rotich revealed his potential in 2002 when he finished second in
this race behind compatriot Robert Cheruiyot after a breathtaking
sprint in the final metres of the race. Both Kenyans, along with
Italian Daniele Caimmi, clocked 2:08:59 but victory went to Cheruiyot
in an extremely close photo-finish.
Springboard for future Marathon stars.
The Marathon in Milano has always been a springboard for future
Marathon stars. Cheruiyot and Rotich continued their successful road
racing careers the following spring, with Cheruiyot winning the 2003
Boston Marathon in 2:10:11, while Rotich claimed an outstanding victory
in the Paris Marathon with an 2:06:33, still 13th on the all-time list.
Rotich, who was eighth in the 2003 World Championships in Paris and
runner-up in Rotterdam in 2004, returns to Milan after his recent
seventh place showing at rea,- BERLIN-MARATHON in September
(2:10:53) :::