ZIMBABWE middle distance athlete, Royal Mabika is poised to make a return at the Dubai Marathon scheduled for this Sunday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after a two-year hiatus.
The competition, offering the 10km and 4km races to be run on the Umm Suqeim Road, are scheduled to start at the Madinat Jumeirah in the shadow of the iconic Burl Al Arab and finish at the Dubai Police Academy where Umm Suqeim Road ends.
Mabika, who is now under Puma brand in the UAE, said he is looking forward to a happy return.
“Dubai Marathon is like the centre of running in the UAE. l last ran the event two years ago so this Sunday headlines the third time that I will be competing in this event. My last performance was okay as l came back home in 29:34 for the 10km race,” Mabika told NewsDay Sport yesterday.
“Dubai Marathon is probably the last chance to qualify for the Olympics and l’m sure the majority of Ethiopians are targeting fast times in the Emirates come Sunday.”
Mabika has, however, ruled himself out of Olympic contention as he sets his sights on the middle distances for now.
“As for me, France (Paris Olympics) is out of the mark because I have been focusing on middle distance. I ran a marathon last year, but still I feel like my half marathon time is the best so I might be looking at World Championships this year,” he added.
Manager Gallie Kawanzaruwa, is confident Mabika will give his all on Sunday having won several races last year.
- Mabika readies for Dubai Marathon
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“Last year he won the Mai Dubai City Half Marathon, he came up well in the Abu Dhabi Marathon and the UAE Cross Country Series at Melia Desert Palm in addition to winning several SuperSports events in the region,” Kawanzaruwa said.
“All this was not by accident but a result of sheer determination and hard work and all the support mechanisms behind him we can all hope for a good outing on Sunday.”
After the Dubai Marathon, Mabika will switch his focus towards the Riyadh Marathon on February 25 and Manchester Marathon in England in April as he bids to qualify for the World Championships scheduled for Tokyo, Japan next year.
