16 Jan. 2016 – After the absence of Russia at the Summer Olympic Games Rio De Janeiro 2016, the International Association of Athletics Federation raised the qualification standards for some of the events that usually a large number of Russian athletes take part in.
The aim is to have more athletes achieving the standard and therefore, to get closer to the target number of participants. The entry standards of 17 events in athletics were changed due to the Russian doping scandal.
Fortunately, Chirine NJEIM who is the closest Lebanese athlete to the qualification standards after running the Marathon in 2 hours, 46 minutes and 41 seconds, she is now only one minute forty one seconds away from the marathon qualifications of 2:45:00.
Tomorrow, Chirine will be running the Houston Marathon as an attempt to break the 2 hours 45 minutes and become the first marathoner ever to qualify for the Olympic Games, and maybe become one of the very few women in the world to take part in both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games!
Chirine previously represented Lebanon in three Winter Olympic Games in Alpine Skiing, back in 2002, 2006 and 2010. She lives and trains in the United States. Now, the marathon is her new challenge, and the Summer Olympics her new target. We wish her all the best for tomorrow’s race!
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