Oqbe Kibrom will return to the start line of the Vienna City Marathon on 19th April hoping to become the first Eritrean runner to win the men’s race of the prestigious event at his second attempt. Kibrom was third at Austria’s most spectacular road race in 2022 and heads the current start list with a personal best of 2:05:37.
When Kibrom raced in Vienna four years ago, it looked like he could make history. Once the last pacemaker dropped out after the 30 km point, he surged ahead and seemed on course to become the first Eritrean to win in the Austrian capital. However, Kibrom, whose manager is the Swiss record holder Tadesse Abraham, had tried too hard. While he could not hold the pace, the eventual winner, Cosmas Muteti of Kenya, came from behind and passed him with five kilometres to go. Kibrom finished third with 2:07:25. While there has been an Eritrean women’s winner in Vienna, no runner from Eritrea has taken the men’s race.
With three sub-2:06:00 times in his career so far, Kibrom has consistently produced fine marathon performances. While Vienna stands out because it was his best race with regard to a podium finish, the Eritrean clocked his personal record of 2:05:37 in Berlin when he was eighth two years ago. In 2025, he ran another fine marathon, taking fourth place in Daegu, South Korea, with 2:06:04. The time might be right now for the 28-year-old to achieve a first marathon victory.
Oqbe Kibrom will be challenged by two fellow Africans who have also clocked their personal bests two years ago: Ethiopia’s Tafese Delegen ran 2:06:11 in Seville, and Stanley Kurgat of Kenya clocked 2:07:05 in Berlin, finishing seven places behind Kibrom. A runner who achieved his PB more recently is Albert Kangogo. The Kenyan was runner-up in Mersin, Turkey, in December with 2:07:26. Kangogo knows the Vienna City Marathon well. He was third here two years ago in 2:10:44.
An Austrian athlete could produce a strong performance: Aaron Gruen caused an upset in spring last year, when he became the first national runner to clock a sub-2:10:00 time in the marathon. The 27-year-old ran 2:09:53 in Congers, New York, improving by almost five minutes. In the build-up to the Vienna City Marathon, Gruen ran a promising 61:14 half-marathon PB in Houston this January. However, he has to balance marathon training and his duties as a student at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
European Marathon classics introduced
Together with seven other races, the Vienna City Marathon forms the new series European Marathon Classics (EMC), which was introduced in Vienna a short time ago. Major marathon races in London, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon, Warsaw, Copenhagen and Frankfurt form the series together with Vienna. Runners who finish at least five of these marathons in different cities and without a time limit receive a specially crafted medal.
“European Marathon Classics embodies our ambition to explore Europe together while pushing boundaries – both geographically and philosophically. I am confident this series will show that across Europe, we are better together than we are apart and that we are more similar than we are different. I hope it will inspire participants from around the world to experience Europe’s great marathons, cities and communities,” said Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the TCS London Marathon.
“The European Marathon Classics are an inspiring challenge. By bringing together leading European marathons, we aim to inspire even more people to embrace marathon running. We are united by shared values like a passion for the sport, community, health and sustainability,” said Kathrin Widu, who is the joint managing director of the Vienna City Marathon together with Dominik Konrad. More information and the opportunity to register for the series are available at: www.europeanmarathonclassics.eu
Organizers of the 43rd Vienna City Marathon, which is a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race, have registered 13,000 runners for the classic distance. Adding races at shorter distances during the two-day event, the record total of entered athletes is over 46,000.
For more information please visit www.vienna-marathon.com or contact Andreas Maier (Press Officer): andreas@vienna-marathon.com
