Gebrselassie to run in 2012 Tokyo marathon

Ethiopia’s former world mara-thon record holder Haile Gebr-selassie will run in the Tokyo marathon on February 26, the event’s organisers said.

“We have reached a basic agreement and we are in the process of signing a contract with him,” Junko Kurokawa, a spokeswoman for the Tokyo Marathon Foundation, said.

The 38-year-old is expected to announce his plan to race in Tokyo when he takes part in a 15-kilometre road race in the Netherlands today, she added.

Gebrselassie’s world record of 2hrs 03mins 59secs was slashed by 21 seconds by Ken-yan Patrick Makau in the Berlin race in September, an event that saw Gebrselassie pull out after 35 kilometres.

The two-time 10,000m Olympic champion has no thought of retiring but is focused on qualifying for next year’s Olympics, his manager Jos Hermens told reporters in Berlin.

Gebrselassie pulled out of the 2011 Tokyo marathon at the last minute, citing fresh injuries to both knees suffered during training.