摘要：On the morning of December 8th, 2024, the Guangzhou Marathon officially started, with 26,000 participants.

On the morning of December 8th, 2024, the Guangzhou Marathon officially started, with 26,000 participants.

In the minds of long-distance running enthusiasts, Olympic gold medalist Kenenisa Bekele is regarded as a "legend." What left the deepest impression on Chinese long-distance runners was undoubtedly the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Bekele won gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m events, setting new Olympic records in the process.

This year, Bekele was invited to be the ambassador for the Guangzhou Marathon. On December 7th, during an interview with Yangcheng Evening News in Guangzhou, he referred to China as his lucky place. He recalled winning two gold medals for Ethiopia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and said that he is always happy to visit China. "I've met some amazing people here," he said. "China is a vibrant country with both traditional and diverse cultures. There are many beautiful sights, and I've even visited the Great Wall. I always enjoy my time in China."

In addition to Beijing, Bekele has also competed in Shanghai. He visited Guangzhou ten years ago. Now, returning to the city, he has noticed its changes. Bekele believes that the Guangzhou Marathon has gradually become a world-class event, attracting more and more professional runners each year. He expressed his happiness at being invited as the ambassador for this year's marathon and even hopes to participate in the race next time.

Bekele also praised the level of marathon organization in China, saying, "I see that China has many marathon events, such as the Beijing Marathon, Shanghai Marathon, and Guangzhou Marathon. These large-scale races have become increasingly professional in their organization. I believe they just need to maintain their strong professional attitude and continue to approach the task with professionalism. In fact, I think they have already succeeded. There are so many large, professional marathon events here, and they are on par with those in any other country."

In his younger years, Bekele was an Olympic champion, a World Championships titleholder, and the former world record holder in both the 5,000m and 10,000m events. However, as age and injuries took their toll, he turned to engage in marathon racing. Even at the age of 42, he continues to perform at a high level. This year, he set a new world record for the 40+ age group at the London Marathon, finishing in 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 15 seconds, and earned his qualification for the Paris Olympics.

Source: Lingnan On the Cloud

专访丨宣传大使贝克勒：广马是世界级的比赛

12月8日早上，2024广州马拉松赛正式鸣枪起跑，参赛规模为26000人。

在长跑爱好者的心目中，奥运会三金得主凯内尼萨·贝克勒是“大神”般的存在。而让中国长跑爱好者印象最深的无疑是2008年北京奥运会，贝克勒夺取5000米和10000米双金，并两度刷新奥运会纪录。

今年，贝克勒受邀成为广州马拉松赛的宣传大使，7日在广州接受羊城晚报记者采访时，他称中国是自己的幸运之地。北京奥运会中，他为埃塞俄比亚拿到了两枚金牌，因此每次来中国他都非常开心。“我在这边遇到了非常棒的人，中国是一个充满活力的国家，既有自己传统的也具有多元的文化，这里有很多漂亮的风景，我还去过长城，我一直很享受在中国的时光。”

除了北京，贝克勒还去过上海比赛，10年前也来过广州，如今再次来到这里，他感受到这座城市的变化。贝克勒认为，广马已经一步步成为世界级的比赛，也吸引了越来越多的职业跑者加入其中，自己也很开心能够成为今年广马的宣传大使，他甚至希望下一次能够有机会参与到广马的赛事中去。

对于中国的马拉松办赛水平，贝克勒也给予了充分的肯定，“我看到中国有很多马拉松赛事，比如北京马拉松、上海马拉松、广州马拉松这样的大型比赛，他们的办赛已经变得越来越专业，我认为他们只需要继续保持强大的专业态度，以专业的方式去坚持做这件事就好。而且我认为他们已经成功了，这里已经有这么多大型的专业马拉松赛事，不比任何国家差。”

年轻时贝克勒是奥运冠军、世锦赛冠军，5000米和10000米曾经的世界纪录保持者。随着年龄和伤病的限制，他转战马拉松赛场。直到今年，42岁的他还在伦敦马拉松赛上，以2小时4分15秒的成绩打破40岁以上年龄组世界纪录，拿到巴黎奥运会参赛资格。

文丨记者 苏荇

图丨记者 柳诚

翻译丨林佳岱

审校丨赵凡

来源：羊城派一点号