Hong Kong Marathon: Former Kenyan runner Eunice Chumba aims for victory representing Bahrain
- The 25-year-old has a personal best time of two hours, 24, minutes and 27 seconds
- The Jakarta Asian Games silver medallist will be hoping to improve on her fifth place from her last Hong Kong Marathon appearance in 2013
Former Kenyan runner Eunice Chumba hopes changing her allegiance will also change her luck at this weekend’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon when she races under a Bahrain flag.
The 25-year-old, who won a silver medal in the women’s 10,000 metres at last year’s Asian Games in Jakarta, is one of the favourites in the women’s marathon, at least on paper. She has a personal best time of two hours, 24 minutes and 27 seconds set in the Rotterdam marathon in 2017. And she has intimate knowledge of the Hong Kong course having competed here in 2013 when she finished fifth racing under the Kenyan banner.
“I moved to Bahrain in 2014 and then represented the country in the Asian Games and many other events,” said Chumba. “I know the Hong Kong course is very tough as it goes through tunnels and bridges but we are used to it when we train in Kenya.
“The only worry will be the weather as I know the humidity will be very high on Sunday and therefore I can’t be too aggressive in the race.”
