Virgin London Marathon 2011 – Women’s Preview: Shobukhova the favourite in strongest ever field

After running the two fastest times of 2010, Liliya Shobukhova will start as favourite to retain the women's Virgin London Marathon crown on 17 April. But the impressive Russian will have to be at her best against a women's field described by race director David Bedford as "undoubtedly our strongest ever".

The line-up includes no fewer than 13 women who have run under 2 hours 24 minutes and contains the top five from last year's race, plus the Olympic champion, Constantina Dita, the reigning champions from Berlin, New York and Paris – Aberu Kebede, Edna Kiplagat and Atsede Baysa – and the world half marathon record holder, Mary Keitany.

The 2008 and 2009 London champion, Irina Mikitenko, is the quickest in the field with her PB of 2:19:19. The German was forced to drop out last year with a shin injury, but is back to challenge Shobukhova again along with the 2007 champion, Zhou Chunxiu. Zhou, who has also broken 2:20:00, retained her Asian Games title last November ahead of another Chinese athlete, Zhu Xiaolin.

Zhu's also in the field, along with Shobukhova's compatriot Inga Abitova, who finished strongly to take second place last year just ahead of Aselefech Mergia, one of five talented Ethiopians. Mergia, Kebede and Baysa are joined by Bezunesh Bekele and Askale Tafa, who were fourth and fifth respectively a year ago.

Kenya's chances are boosted by Keitany, who was third on her debut in New York last November and ran a superb world half marathon record at the Ras Al Khaimah race in the United Arab Emirates this February. She also broke the world 20km record en route to that victory and is aiming for a marathon time well under 2:20.
Then there's the experienced Dutchwoman, Lornah Kiplagat, the former world half marathon and world cross country champion, who was fifth here in 2007, and the emerging Russian Mariya Konovalova, third in Chicago last October.

Yukiko Akaba leads the Japanese challenge hoping to improve on her sixth place last year. Akaba has been joined by seven of her compatriots who are racing in London for places on Japan's World Championships team following cancellation of the Nagoya International Women's Marathon on 13 March due to the earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan two days earlier.

British hopes rest with British Olympian Liz Yelling who competes here for the first time since 2008. Yelling returned to action in 2010 after taking a break to have her first child. She was 18th in Chicago last October but regards this race as the start of her bid to win a place in Britain's 2012 Olympic team.

Alongside her will be Jo Pavey and Liz's sister-in-law Hayley Yelling, two seasoned British internationals with similar hopes of World Championships and Olympic selection. Both are making their marathon debuts.
One other notable debutante is the European cross country champion, Jessica Augusto of Portugal, a world and Olympic finalist on the track.

Elite Women: Entries

Bib no. Name Nation PB Bib name
101 Liliya Shobukhova RUS 2:20:25 SHOBUKHOVA
102 Zhou Chunxiu CHN 2:19:51 ZHOU
103 Irina Mikitenko GER 2:19:19 IRINA
104 Constantina Dita ROU 2:21:30 DITA
105 Askale Tafa ETH 2:21:31 TAFA
106 Atsede Baysa ETH 2:22:04 BAYSA
107 Inga Abitova RUS 2:22:19 ABITOVA
108 Lornah Kiplagat NED 2:22:22 LORNAH
109 Aselefech Mergia ETH 2:22:38 MERGIA
110 Bezunesh Bekele ETH 2:23:09 BEKELE
111 Mariya Konovalova RUS 2:23:50 KONOVALOVA
112 Zhu Xiaolin CHN 2:23:57 ZHU
113 Aberu Kebede ETH 2:23:58 KEBEDE
114 Yukiko Akaba JPN 2:24:55 AKABA
115 Edna Kiplagat KEN 2:25:38 EDNA
116 Magdalena Lewy-Boulet USA 2:26:22 BOULET
117 Liz Yelling GBR 2:28:33 LIZ
118 Mary Keitany KEN 2:29:01 KEITANY
119 Kirsten Melkevik NOR 2:29:12 MELKEVIK
120 Fiona Docherty NZL 2:32:17 DOCHERTY
121 Tanith Maxwell RSA 2:32:33 MAXWELL
122 Jo Pavey GBR Debut PAVEY
123 Jessica Augusto POR Debut AUGUSTO
125 Hayley Yelling GBR Debut HAYLEY
128 Mizuho Nasukawa JPN 2:25:38 NASUKAWA
129 Yurika Nakamura JPN 2:25:51 NAKAMURA
130 Madoka Ogi JPN 2:26:55 OGI
131 Yoshiko Fujinaga JPN 2:28:13 FUJINAGA
133 Azusa Nojiri JPN 2:29:12 NOJIRI
134 Noriko Matsuoka JPN Debut MATSUOKA
135 Risa Shigetomo JPN Debut SHIGETOMO