Dresden Marathon: Soufiane Bouchikhi misses Olympic qualification for one minute

Soufiane Bouchikhi missed the Olympic qualifying time on Sunday during the Dresden Marathon in Germany. On his second and final qualifying attempt, he placed second in 2:12:39, while the time for Tokyo is 2:11:30. During the first 27 kilometers, Bouchikhi took advantage of the work of his hare, his brother Lahsene, regularly remaining in the pattern to finish in 2h11: 00. When his brother retired, Bouchikhi gradually lost ground and conceded a minute in the last five kilometers. His time of 2:12:39 is a personal best, Bouchikhi not crossing the finish line in his previous marathons.

In December, Bouchikhi tried to make the qualifying time in the Valencia marathon. Starting very strong, on the basis of 2:06, he had not reached the finish.

Koen Naert and Bashir Abdi are qualified for the marathon, as is Hanne Verbruggen for the ladies.