The Prague International Marathon is the last qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris

The Prague International Marathon is the last chance for runners to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. And so it is not surprising that the elite starting list of the Prague race gives runners from different countries a chance to fight for participation under the Olympic rings. Fans are curious to see the winners of both the men’s and women’s categories, but an Olympic year is about so much more – fulfilling the Olympic dream. At the start of this year’s Prague International Marathon, we will see runners from China, Brazil, Mongolia, Peru, Jordan, Ecuador and India, as well as from Portugal and Bulgaria.

Most of these countries have a set standard of 2:08:10 for men and 2:26:30 for women. Of course, it also depends on how many free places are left in individual countries, the quota is a maximum of three runners from one country. An expedition of two runners is sent by China, the representatives of Brazil have great ambitions (the well-known runner Paulo Paula was nominated for the Rio Olympics in Prague 2016). Wendell Souza and Graziele Zarri will strive for something similar, who would become the first Brazilian in history to represent her country at the Olympics in the marathon. Runners from Ecuador Paola Bonilla and Peruvian Ferdinan Cereceda will also arrive with great ambitions.

The expedition of two runners from India or Mongolia will be of interest, the Jordanian Moath Alkhawaldeh is also worth mentioning, who, according to the rules of his federation, only needs to break the 2:17:00 mark. Portuguese runners Solange Jesus and Ana Mafalda Ferreira will also come to fight for the Olympic dream. The Prague International Marathon goes against these dreams, so drivers will be prepared not only for the main favorites of the race at the top, but also drivers for the times of 2:08:00 and 2:26:00.

Czech fans are pleased that Tereza Hrochová and Moira Stewartová, who won’t take part in the race due to preparations for the Olympics, already met last year’s limits. Only a significant shift in the ranking could give the Czech men a theoretical chance, because the home marathon championship, which is part of the Prague race, can bring extra points. Among the Czech men at the start, we will see the defender of the victory from last year Vít Pavlišt, multiple champion Petr Pechek, experienced Jiří Homoláč or Ondřej Fejfar. Patrik Vebr, winner of the 1/2 Marathon Prague 2024 and a member of the RunCzech Racing team, will make his marathon debut here.

Overview of runners who announced an attack on the Olympic limit:

Women Country Best times from the nomination period:

Solange Jesus POR 2:27:30
Dan Li CHN 2:27:32
Paolo Bonilla ECU 2:27:38
Militsa Mircheva BUL 2:29:23
Ana Mafalda Ferreira POR 2:31:27
Graziela Zarri BR 2:42:48

Men of Earth Best times from the nomination period:

Byambajav Tseveenravdan MGL 2:09:19
Jianhua Peng CHN 2:09:59
Ferdinand Cereceda PER 2:12:19
Bugatha Srinu IND 2:14:41
Wendell Souza BRA 2:16:20
Mo’ath Alkhawaldeh JOR 2:18:43
Bangriya Vikram Bharatsinh IND 2:27:06

The Prague Marathon also includes a rich accompanying program and the Marathon Expo – Sports Equipment Fair at the Holešovice Exhibition Centre. Popular family runs will also take place on Saturday at the Exhibition Center and Stromovka Park. You can find the last 500 places for the main race and registration for the dm family mile at www.runczech.com.