06 WORLD PARA ATHLETICS MARATHON WORLD CUP

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1 06 WORLD PARA ATHLETICS MARATHON WORLD CUP The World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup returns in 2018 with more events and more athletes than ever, including six of last year s seven champions. After the huge success of the 2012 Paralympic Games, the first IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup was held in 2013 with events for para-athletes added to a race-day programme that had long included elite wheelchair competitions. Four IPC Athletics world records were broken that year as athletes took part in six events. Another world record went in 2014 when a seventh event, for T51/52 wheelchair athletes, was added to the programme. The Marathon World Cup was not held in 2015 when the London Marathon hosted the IPC Athletics Marathon World Championships, which witnessed four world records from eight races. The World Cup returned in 2016 when China s Zheng Jin broke the women s T11 world record. The full name of the 2018 event is the World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup, in association with the Virgin Money London Marathon. The Events There will be eight World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup events at the 2018 London Marathon: T11/T12 for para-athletes with a severe visual impairment who run with a guide races for men & women T13 for para-athletes with a visual impairment meeting the minimum criteria men s race only T45/46 for para-athletes with lower and upper arm impairments men only T51/52 wheelchair racers with activity limitation in both lower and upper limbs men only T53/54 wheelchair racers with partial trunk and leg function men & women T62-64 for para-athletes with lower limb impairments men only. All World Cup athletes will compete in their national vests, except those in the London Marathon s traditional T53/54 wheelchair races, who will wear their own racing colours. All World Cup medal winners, except those in the T53/54 wheelchair races, will receive prize money from World Para Athletics, as follows: 1st - $2,000 2nd - $1,000 3rd - $750 In races where there are fewer than four athletes, no medals or prize money will be awarded. The T51/52 and T53/54 wheelchair races will start at 08:55; the other World Cup events will start at 09:00. Reigning World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup champions T11/12 Men Shinya Wada (JPN) 2:34:59 T11/12 Women Misato Michishita (JPN) 3:00:50 T13 Men Patryk Lekaszewski (POL) 2:32:20 T45/46 Men Alex Pires da Silva (BRA) 2:28:20 T51/52 Men Ray Martin (USA) 1:57:15 T53/54 Men David Weir (GBR) 1:31:06 T53/544 Women Manuela Schär (SUI) 1:39:57 Preview Among this year s entries are six of last year s seven winners including David Weir and Manuela Schär in the T53/54 wheelchair races. Japanese pair Shinya Wada and Misato Michishita return to defend their T11/12 titles in the races for athletes with visual impairments, while Poland s Patryk Lakaszewski, who won the T13 event last year, faces a sixstrong field, the largest for that category in World Cup history. Brazil s Alex Pires da Silva will go head-to-head with Spain s world champion Abderrahman Ait Khamouch as he bids to retain the T45/46 crown he won last year. Ait Khamouch broke the world record when he took the title here in 2015, beating Da Silva by less than a minute. Israel s Eitan Hermon and Brian Reynolds of USA go in the inaugural T62-64 race for athletes with lower limb amputations. Both hold world records for their categories. Three-time winner and six-time Paralympic champion Ray Martin of USA has had to pull out of the T51/52 wheelchair race leaving Britain s former wheelchair rugby player, Rob Smith, to take on last year s runner-up, Cristian Torres from Colombia, in what promises to be a close contest. Media Guide

2 Ambulant Athletes T11/12 Women Bib Name Country Class PB Age DoB Bib name 331 Misato Michishita JPN T12 2:56: /01/77 MICHISHITA Guides: Jun Shida / Yuka Aoyama 332 Maria Paredes Rodriguez ESP T12 2:59: /01/63 PAREDES Lorenzo Sanchez Martin RODRIGUEZ 333 Edneusa de Jesus Santos Dorta BRA T12 3:03: /07/78 SANTOS DORTA Luiz Agripino da Silva 334 Ausra Garunksnyte LTU T12 3:10: /06/91 GARUNKSNYTE 335 Yoko Aoki JPN T12 3:15: /06/76 AOKI Yasuhiro Ukitsu / Haruka Yamaguchi 336 Yumiko Fuji JPN T12 3:16: /09/64 FUJI Gaku Ueshima / Takaaki Nakajima 337 Yumiko Konno JPN T11 3:18: /12/61 KONNO Yukio Matsuura / Hisayo Kakinuma Biographies Misato Michishita: The 2017 champion won last year s title by almost 10 minutes from Rodriguez, who had beaten her in Michishita ran 3:00:50 12 months ago then lowered her PB by thee minutes in Hofu City in Yamaguchi in December to rank No.1 in the world for She was Rio Paralympic silver medallist behind Spain s Elena Congost and the 2015 World Championship bronze medallist. She lost the vision in her right eye after contracting an illness while at school. She took up running to lose weight in her 20s. She lives in Dazaifu. Maria Paredes Rodriguez: She won the IPC World Cup in both 2013 and 2014, clocking official world records on both occasions. She ran 3:17:10 in 2013 and then became the first T12 female athlete to dip under three hours in 2014 when she finished in 2:59:22. She was second last year in 3:09:41 to rank second in the world for She was fourth at the 2015 World Championships but did not finish the Rio Paralympic marathon. She won a bronze medal in the T m at the 2014 European Championships and was fourth in the T m in She worked as a nurse in Barcelona for 25 years before losing her vision in 2005 at 42 from a degenerative macular condition. She took up running to overcome depression. Ausra Garunksnyte: A former tennis player and track runner who took up marathon running Her aim is to become the first Lithuanian woman to compete in the Paralympic marathon. She is coached by Linas Balsys, a marathon bronze medallist from the 2004 Paralympic Games. She holds the Lithuanian women s record for athletes with visual impairments. Yoko Aoki: She ran her PB in Hofu City in December last year and ranked fourth in the world for Yumiko Fuji: She was fourth in the World Cup last year after placing third in 2016, sixth at the 2015 Marathon World Championships and fourth in the 2014 World Cup. She ran a personal best of 3:16:23 in Hofu City last December to rank fourth in the world for She has been running since Yumiko Konno: She ran her PB of 3:18:23 in Hofu City in December 2017 to rank second in the world for T11s. Edneusa de Jesus Santos Dorta: She is the Rio Paralympic bronze medallist who ranked second in the world in 2016 after clocking 3:03:07 in Porte Alegre. She ran 3:14:52 in the same race last June to rank third in the world for She was disqualified in last year s World Cup. She is a sports teacher and lives in Rio Claro. 66 Media Guide 2018

3 T11/12 Men Bib Name Country Class PB Age DoB Bib name 291 Shinya Wada JPN T11 2:32: /07/77 WADA Guides: Takashi Nakata / Yasunori Murakami 292 El Amin Chentouf MAR T12 2:21: /06/81 CHENTOUF 293 Alberto Suarez Laso ESP T12 2:21: /12/77 LASO 294 Gustavo Nieves ESP T12 2:26: /03/82 NIEVES 295 Tadashi Horikoshi JPN T12 2:27: /07/88 HIROKOSHI 296 Yutaka Kumagai JPN T12 2:31: /02/87 KUMAGAI 297 Gabriel Macchi POR T12 2:37: /10/75 MACCHI Martim Nunes / Jorge Rodrigues 298 Masahiro Taniguchi JPN T11 2:39: /07/90 TANIGUCHI Shogo Matsugaki / Toshiyuki Mohara 299 Nuno Alves POR T11 2:39: /05/75 ALVES Joao Campos / Jose Ferreira 300 Sandi Novak SLO T11 2:40: /07/73 NOVAK Roman Kejzar / Anton Kosmac 301 Joaquim Machado POR T11 2:41: /04/71 MACHADO Luis Ginja / Paulo Ramos 302 Jorge Pina POR T12 2:42: /01/76 PINA Helio Fumo / Ricardo Abreu 303 Christopher Goodwin GBR T11 2:43: /06/70 GOODWIN Ryan Henry-Asquith / Chris Clarke 304 Nicolas Bompard FRA T12 2:44: /01/82 BOMPARD 305 Satoru Yoneoka JPN T11 2:47: /06/85 YONEOKA Takeomi Yanagisaw / Hiroki Kai 306 Shinji Yamashita JPN T12 2:47: /03/83 YAMASHITA Fuminori Sakanashi / Kazuyuki Urakawa 307 Declan Ryan IRL T12 2:49: /06/79 RYAN Kevin Coleman 308 Nacereddine Kerfas ALG T12 2:53: /77 KERFAS 309 Yap Tien-Fung GER T12 2:56: /10/90 TIEN-FUNG Max Kirschbaum 310 Steffen Klitschka GER T12 3:00: /02/66 KLITSCHKA Holger Stoek 311 Johannes-Reinhard Hupe GER T11 3:00: /04/62 HUPE Mario Leimbach / Martin Sander Biographies Shinya Wada: He won last year s title by five minutes in 2:34:59, the fastest by a T11 runner in He ranked No.1 in the world in 2016 too, thanks to his PB of 2:32:11 from Fukuoka that December. He was the T11 marathon silver medallist at the 2013 Worlds, improving from bronze in He was fifth in the T12 marathon at the London 2012 Paralympics and again at Rio He won a 5000m bronze in 2012 and was sixth last summer in London. Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at high school, he began running in He is married with two children. He is in charge of braille services at the Osaka Visually Impaired Welfare Association. El Amin Chentouf: The T12 world record holder returns to the London Marathon for the first time since 2015 when he won World Championship gold. He initially broke the record to win the World Cup in 2013 in 2:24:00. He retained the title in He won the T m title at the London 2012 Paralympics when he smashed the world record by more than 30 seconds. He added three more golds at the 2013 World Championships but dropped out of two track finals at the London 2017 Worlds last summer. He was second in the 2012 Moroccan able-bodied 10,000m. Born in Ksar Lekbir, he took up the sport in 2008 and now lives in Rabat. Alberto Suarez Laso: The London 2012 Paralympic champion and 2016 silver medallist, was also the world champion in He dropped out of the 2013 World Championships race but was second behind Chentouf at the 2015 Worlds in London in 2:21:47, one of the quickest times ever. He won the T m at the 2014 European Championships. He was diagnosed with macular degeneration in 2008 and took up the sport when he began to lose his vision. He is one of the organisers of the Oviedo Half Marathon in Spain, and serves as president of the Club Maraton Oviedo. Gustavo Nieves: The 2013 world 10,000m bronze medallist who collapsed and lost consciousness while leading the Rio Paralympic marathon in 30-degree heat. He won European bronze at 5000m in Born in Villalba, he lived in Germany until he was five and Media Guide

4 took up running aged 17 after losing his sight suddenly due to an inherited condition, Leber s hereditary optic neuropathy. He previously played football in the Spanish youth game s top division. He now lives in Madrid. Tadashi Horikoshi: He was fourth at the Rio Paralympics having clinched bronze at the 2015 World Championships in London in a PB 2:27:42. He was third in last year s World Cup in 2:39:57. He was fifth in the T m at London 2012 with an Asian record of 14:48.59 having placed eighth at Beijing He was fifth in the 10,000m at the 2011 Worlds and sixth in the 5000m and 800m. He was sixth at 1500m and seventh at 5000m in An illness at birth led to the removal of his right eye and loss of vision in his left. He lives in Kyotanabe. Yutaka Kumagai: He won the 2016 World Cup by more than three minutes in 2:33:24 but could only place 10th last year. He was fifth in the 2015 Marathon World Championships in 2:37:48 behind his compatriots Horikoshi and Masahiro Okamura. He ran his PB in Hofu City in 2016 to rank No.2 in the world that year. He won a 5000m bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Para Games and was 10th in the T m at the 2015 World Championships in Doha. Born without an iris in either eye (a condition known as aniridia), he began running at school and later attended Takaoka University of Law. Gabriel Macchi: He was second in the World Cup last year after placing third in 2013 and 2014 clocking his PB 2:37:23 in He won another bronze at the 2013 World Championships and was sixth at the 2015 Worlds in 2:38:11. He was sixth in the Rio 2016 marathon after finishing sixth at London 2012 and 14th in Beijing He ranked fourth in the world last year. Argentine-born, he took up running in 2006 aged 31 after developing juvenile glaucoma. He is married to Paula Ramos and they have a daughter, Patricia, and son, Diego. Masahiro Taniguchi: Seventh in last year s World Cup, he ran his PB in Hofu City in 2016 to rank world No.2 for T11s that year. He ranked second last year too behind Wada after running 2:42:05 in Hofu. He was fifth in three events at the 2013 Worlds 1500m, 5000m and marathon and fourth and fifth in the first two at the 2015 Worlds and sixth at 5000m at London He took up the sport in his first year at the University of Tsukuba s special needs school for the blind having had his right eye removed due to retinoblastoma at birth. He lost vision in his left at two. He lives in Kobe. Nuno Alves: The 2014 European T m champion and 2002 World 1500m bronze medallist, he has competed at the last five Paralympics but is yet to win a medal. He dropped out of the marathon at the 2006 World Championships. Born in Tourém, he lost his sight as a result of an accident with a firearm at age 18. He is married with a son, Lourenco. Sandi Novak: He was eighth in last year s World Cup as he had been at the Rio Paralympics having finished 14th at the 2015 Worlds. He was seventh in the T11 marathon at the 2013 Worlds and fourth in the 5000m at the 2014 Europeans. He clocked a PB of 2:40:02 in Dubai in January 2016 to rank No.3 in the world for T11s that year. He ranked ninth last year. He lost his sight in an accident in 2004 while celebrating the marriage of a friend. He then devoted himself to marathon running while at a rehabilitation centre recovering from the accident. He missed out on the London Paralympics despite having the B qualifying time. Joaquim Machado: The 2013 world bronze medallist in the T11 marathon was fourth in the 2016 World Cup in 2:44:26 to rank fourth in the world for T11s. He ranked fourth last year too. He was fifth in 2014 and seventh in He was eighth in the T12 marathon at London 2012 in 2:43:17 and ran 2:44:02 to finish eighth in the 2015 Marathon World Championships and rank No.1 in the world for He worked as a carpenter until he lost his vision at 29. Jorge Pina: The 2016 World Cup bronze medallist was fourth last year in 2:43:11 to rank sixth in the world for T12s in His PB of 2:42:19 was run in London two years ago. He went on to place seventh in the Rio Paralympic marathon having been disqualified at the end of the London 2012 race when his guide crossed the line ahead of him. He was fourth at the 2013 World Championships, sixth at the 2014 World Cup and 10th at the 2015 Marathon World Championships. He was a national boxing champion several times and became visually impaired aged 30 after suffering retina damage during a sparring bout in When doctors told him of the diagnosis, the first thing he asked was, Can I run? He set up his own club, the Associacao Jorge Pina, to help disadvantaged people. Christopher Goodwin: He ran his PB at the Frankfurt Marathon last October having run 2:47:12 at the Brighton Marathon last April. He ran 2:55:22 at the Valencia Marathon in He won para-triathlon gold at the 2013 World Championships in London. He is a member of Lordshill club in Hampshire. Married to Sara, he has two children, Beth and Charlie, who have both competed in gymnastics at national junior level. Nicolas Bompard: He ran his PB of 2:44:16 to finish fourth overall at the Orléans Marathon in November 2014 and was close to that time at the 2015 World Championships, when he was ninth in 2:44:27. His previous PB was 2:47:17 from Cheverny in He was born in Seoul, Korea, and now lives in Chamalières. Satoru Yoneoka: Ran his PB of 2:47:00 in Hofu City in December last year to rank fifth in the world. He was sixth in the World Cup last year and 12th in Nicknamed Yonechan, he began the sport at 20 and has also competed in para-triathlon at international level. He sustained retinal detachment aged 10. Shinji Yamashita: Ran PB of 2:47:00 in Hofu City last December to rank seventh in the world for T12s. Declan Ryan: He ran his PB of 2:49:27 at the Dublin City Marathon in October last year having broken three hours there for the first time in He is coached by Dave Sweeney and guided by Kevin Coleman, a former jockey from Innishannon. He comes from Thurles in County Tipperary where he works as a horse trainer. His visual impairment is a hereditary condition. 68 Media Guide 2018

5 Nacereddine Kerfas: The 2006 world 10,000m champion, he also has three silver medals and two bronze on the track from world championships. He dropped out of the London 2012 Paralympic marathon having competed over 1500m and 5000m, and was disqualified from the World Cup race in Nicknamed Samir, he took up athletics in 2001 and his hero is Algeria s middle distance legend, Noureddine Morceli. Yap Tien-Fung: He ran 2:57:18 to place ninth in the World Cup last year and ranked ninth in the world for He lives in Mainz and runs for the Die Laufpartner club. He also competes in ultra-marathons and ran a 50km PB of 3:35:54 in Berlin last year. He works as a physiotherapist. Steffen Klitschka: He was beaten by Johannes- Reinhard Hupe in the German disabled marathon championships at last year s Berlin Marathon, running 3:10:37. A former ultra-marathon runner for East Germany, he claims to have run the marathon in 2:22 at aged 20. He s also taken part in numerous mountain running contests, multi-day super marathons and in 2008 ran a marathon along the Great Wall of China. His visual impairment is due to an inherited condition. He is married with two children. Johannes-Reinhard Hupe: He ran 3:09:06 to beat his clubmate Klitschka in the German disabled marathon championships at last year s Berlin Marathon. T13 Men Bib Name Country Class PB Age DoB Bib name 351 Patryk Lukaszewski POL T13 2:32: /07/89 LUKASZEWSKI 352 Toshiharu Takai JPN T13 2:34: /10/86 TAKAI 353 Lukasz Wietecki POL T13 2:37: /07/84 WIETECKI 354 Tim Prendergast NZL T13 2:41: /03/79 PRENDERGAST 355 Harald Josef Lange GER T13 2:58: /04/80 LANGE 356 Matthew Rodjom USA T13 2:59: /12/79 RODJOM Biographies Patryk Lukaszewski: He lowered his PB by 16 seconds to win the World Cup last year from Prendergast and rank No.1 in the world for He clinched a silver medal in the T m at the 2016 European Championships. He was also seventh in the 1500m as he was at the 2013 World Championships. He lives in Gniezno and is co-founder and vice-president of Club Gniezno Biega. He has been visually impaired since birth and took up running in Toshiharu Takai: Ran 2:39:19 in Sapporo City last year to rank second in world. His PB dates from the Hofu Yomiuri Marathon in December He ran 2:49:29 at the Beppu Oita Marathon last February. Lukasz Wietecki: The reigning European T m and 5000m champion who won world 800m gold in 2011 and was fourth over 1500m at the London 2017 World Championships last summer. He also holds bronze medals from world and European para-triathlon championships while he has been a middle-distance finalist four times at recent Paralympic Games. He took up the sport in 2000 while at high school where he lives in Poznan. He now works as a physiotherapist. He has a genetic condition called optic nerve atrophy. Tim Prendergast: The Athens 2004 T13 800m champion, he also won silver medals at 800m and 1500m in Sydney He was 2002 world 800m champion and 2006 silver medallist at both events. At London 2012 he was fifth at 800m in his fastest time, and sixth at 1500m. He ran his PB finishing second in last year s World Cup to rank world No.3 for That run improved his previous best set when runnerup in He was also third at the Marathon World Championships in He clocked 2:48:34 when finishing 11th in the T11-13 race at the 2013 World Cup. He lives in Maida Vale in London and is a member of Woodford Green & Essex Ladies club. Nickamed Prendo, he began losing vision at eight and has lost 95% of his sight. His hero is Roger Bannister. He works as an athlete mentor visiting schools in England to share his story. He is married to Lisa and their son, Finn, was born in He still hopes to break 2:30. Harald Josef Lange: An ultra runner who has completed the Marathon des Sables, he made his marathon debut in Frankfurt 2011 and ran his PB in Hamburg last year. He works at the University of Applied Sciences in Darnstadt. He was born with atrophy in both eyes. This is his debut for the German team. Matthew Rodjom: Ranked third in the world in 2016 with his PB of 2:59:10 from the Sacramento Marathon where he was guided by Scott Jurek, a US ultra running legend, to his first sub-3:00. He has placed second and third among visually impaired runners at recent Boston Marathons, and won the US blind athlete marathon championships in He is married to Sarah, and they have twin daughters Emily and Marisa, and a son, Zachary. He has worked as a programme specialist for the United States Department of Homeland Security in Washington DC where he lives. He was a member of his college track and cross country teams in 2000 when he began losing his central vision because of Leber s hereditary optic neuropathy. He refused to give up running, against doctors advice. Media Guide

6 T45/46 Men Bib Name Country Class PB Age DoB Bib name 371 Alex Pires da Silva BRA T46 2:27: /05/90 PIRES DA SILVA 372 Abderrahman Ait Khamouch ESP T46 2:26: /08/85 AIT KHAMOUCH 373 Alessandro di Lello ITA T46 2:31: /07/77 DI LELLO 374 Derek Rae GBR T46 2:33: /10/85 RAE 375 Manuel Mendes POR T46 2:37: /04/71 MENDES 376 Ahmed Farhat MAR T46 2:40: /08/89 FARHAT 377 Pedro Meza MEX T46 2:41: /02/75 MEZA 378 Matthew Felton AUS T46 2:50: /01/90 FELTON Biographies Alex Pires da Silva: He won the World Cup title for the first time last year in 2:28:20 to rank world No.1 for He was second to Abderrahman Ait Khamouch at the 2015 Marathon World Championships when he ran his PB of 2:27:36, but failed to finish the Paralympic marathon in Rio. He won two silver medals and a bronze at the 2013 World Championships, finishing second in the 1500m and 5000m, and third at 800m. He won a 1500m silver at the 2015 Worlds. Born with his left arm shorter than his right, he took up athletics in 2007, at first running cross country before moving to the roads. Aderrahman Ait Khamouch: Set the official T46 world record of 2:26:54 to win the 2015 World Championships ahead of da Silva, having been disqualified at the 2013 Worlds. He went on to win his second Paralympic marathon silver in Rio after winning his first at London 2012 when he was pipped for gold despite leading with 400m to go. He was halted by a coughing fit brought on by a cold and passed by Brazil s Tito Sena. Born in Mellab, a village in southern Morocco, he moved to the Canary Islands at 15 and first competed for Spain in 2007 shortly after gaining citizenship. He lost his right arm after falling into a well as a child. He lives in Barcelona and speaks Arabic, Catalan, French and Spanish. He wrote an autobiography in Arabic entitled The Angel with the Broken Wing, which was translated into Spanish. Alessandro di Lello: He became the T46 world champion in Lyon in 2013, a race he won by nearly 15 minutes, just three months after winning the inaugural World Cup in 2:32:06. He was beaten by 2012 Paralympic champion Tito Sena at the World Cup in 2014, was third at the 2015 World Championships in 2:31:25, just 19 seconds outside his PB, and was third again in the World Cup in He ran his PB of 2:31:06 at the 2009 New York Marathon but could only finish eighth at the London Paralympics in 2:46:27, and was a non-starter in Rio. He was disabled in a motorcycle accident and began running to lose weight. He lives in Tivoli. Derek Rae: He was third in last year s World Cup in a PB of 2:33:24. to rank third in the world. He had finished fifth at the Marathon World Championships in 2015, and sliced another three minutes from his best in the 2016 World Cup when he was fifth in 2:37:28. He dropped out of the Rio Paralympic marathon. Formerly a joiner, he lost the use of his right arm in 2010 when his motorcycle crashed into a truck. A member of Anster Haddies Running Club in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, he has since transformed himself from an average club runner (3:15 at the 2010 Edinburgh Marathon) into a British international. He first broke 3:00 at the 2013 Edinburgh Marathon. He ran a half marathon PB of 71:56 at the Great Scottish half in Glasgow last October. Manuel Mendes: The Paralympic bronze medallist ran a personal best of 2:37:22 to finish fourth at the 2016 World Cup. He was fourth again last year in 2:38:56 to rank fourth in the world. He ran 2:49:51 to finish 18th at the 2014 Porto Marathon and improved to 2:44:35 at the World Championships in 2015 when he was eighth. He clocked 2:49:57 in Rio. He had his left arm amputated at the elbow after an accident with an agricultural machine aged nine. He took up the sport 10 years later because his uncle was a runner. Ahmed Farhat: He ran his PB when finishing fourth at the 2015 World Championships in London. He ran 800m for Morocco at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, finishing eighth. He won a T46 800m silver at the 2011 Pan-Arab Games in Doha. Pedro Meza: He was a silver medallist at the 2013 World Championships in 2:48:20 after finishing sixth at the London 2012 Paralympics, where he ran his PB, and eighth in Beijing. He didn t finish in Rio. He was fourth in the 2014 World Cup in 2:49:16 and ninth at the 2015 World Championships in London in 2:44:52. He lives in Tlaxcala with his wife Caritina, and children, Maria, Maitxa and Pedro. He had his arms amputated below the elbow after an accident and took up running at 16. His full name is Pedro Meza Zempoeltecatl. Matthew Felton: He ran his PB, and an Australian record, to finish sixth in last year s race. He first broke the 22-year-old record at the 2016 Melbourne Marathon when he clocked 2:53:33. He broke 3:00 for the first time in the 2016 Gold Coast marathon when he clocked 2:58:27. He is a sports and training manager for the Special Olympics in Western Australia. He trains with the Front Runner Sports team in WA. 70 Media Guide 2018

7 T62-64 Men Bib Name Country Class PB Age DoB Bib name 379 Eitan Hermon ISR T64 2:56: /11/74 HERMON 380 Brian Reynolds USA T62 3:06: /07/88 REYNOLDS Israel s Eitan Hermon Biographies Eitan Hermon: He ran 3:07:10 at the 2015 World Championships in London when trying to break the world record for single below-the-leg-amputees and go sub-3:00 for the first time. He achieved that aim in April last year when he clocked 2:56:53 in Vienna. It was Hermon s 16th attempt to break the record. He had run 3:04:24 in the same race in He started running aged 10 after watching his brother compete. He lost his right leg in the second Lebanon war in 2006 when a roadside bomb exploded near his armoured tank. Doctors tried to save his leg for a year but he decided to have it amputated so he could run again. Two years later he became the first Israeli with an amputation to finish a marathon when he completed the 2010 Tiberias Marathon in 3:46. He then ran 3:02:14 at the 2014 Berlin Marathon. He has also completed the Rotterdam and Paris Marathons. His original prosthesis was the first ever to be manufactured in Israel, but was made for walking, not running. His second cost 20,000 and was fitted at the Pace Rehabilitation Centre in Buckinghamshire in Brian Reynolds: He set the official double below-theknee amputee world record at the Chicago Marathon in October 2017 when he ran 3:06:31. At age four he had both of his legs amputated below the knee because of complications after contracting meningitis. He was involved in sports from a young age, took up hiking and walked to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in He took up running in November 2013 and competed in his first marathon in January He trains for the marathon using an elliptical bike to reduce the impact of running on his joints. He is aiming to run the first sub-3:00 marathon by a double leg amputee. Media Guide

8 Wheelchair Athletes T51/52 Men Bib Name Country Class PB Age DoB Bib name 271 Rob Smith GBR T52 1:55: /10/75 SMITH 272 Cristian Torres COL T52 1:59: /01/81 TORRES 273 Stefan Strobel GER T51 2:28: /02/77 STROBEL 274 Helder Mestre POR T51 2:30: /01/67 MESTRE Note: This race will start at 08:55 at the same time as the T53/54 wheelchair races. Biographies Rob Smith: Holds British bests for the T52 400m, 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m, half marathon and marathon. He won three Dubai Marathons in a row to 2013, was beaten in 2014 despite clocking a PB and national best of 1:56:39, won again in 2015 in another PB of 1:56:13, and broke his own UK best with 1:55:51 this January. He ranked second in the world last year with 1:58:43 from Dubai. This will be his 13th London Marathon. He was third in 2014, and then fourth three times in a row, including last year when he clocked 2:02:44. A former wheelchair rugby player with the North East Bulls and GB development squad, he switched to racing in 2002 because he liked training and competing on his own. He suffered a high-level spinal cord injury in 1996 after falling 40ft down a cliff in Devon. It left him partially paralysed in four limbs. A mechanical engineer, he set up the Active Hands company to develop gripping aids for disabled people. He is married to Johanna and lives in Leamington. Cristian Torres: He set his PB finishing second in last year s World Cup improving the time he ran to place third in He ranked third in the world last year. He won a bronze at the 2015 World Championships while his previous best of 2:08:12 came when he was second in the Miami Marathon in February He finished sixth at 800m at London 2012 and again at the 2013 Worlds when he was also fourth at 1500m and fifth at 400m. He was seventh at 100m and 1500m, and sixth at 800m in Rio and sixth in 400m and 1500m at London He has a genetic condition which interrupted his limb development in the womb. Both legs were amputated at nine and he took up the sport in Stefan Strobel: The 2004 Paralympic silver medallist in the marathon, he was also silver medallist over 200m in He was sixth in the World Championships in 2015 and fifth at the World Cup in He clocked 3:02:25 at the Berlin Marathon last September to rank second in the world for T51s. He is T51 world record holder at 10,000m. In 1991 he broke his fifth cervical vertebra in a swimming pool accident, resulting in paraplegia. He had been involved in athletics as a child and continued after his accident. He works as a mathematics and computer science teacher in Saarbrücken. Helder Mestre: He won a bronze for Portugal at the London 2017 World Championships in the T51 400m after the orginal gold medallist was disqualified. He was fifth in the 100m. He competed in the final of both events at the Rio Paralympics and at the 2015 Worlds in Doha. He has quadriplegia as the result of a car accident in 1986 and took up athletics aged seven. He first tried para-athletics at 19, preferring to continue with the sport rather than take up boccia, swimming or rowing. He works for Lisbon City Council. 72 Media Guide 2018

9 T53/54 Women Bib Name Country Class PB Age DoB Bib name 151 Manuela Schär SUI T54 1:28: /12/84 SCHAR 152 Amanda McGrory USA T53 1:33: /06/86 MCGRORY 153 Susannah Scaroni USA T54 1:33: /05/91 SCARONI 154 Tatyana McFadden USA T54 1:35: /04/89 MCFADDEN 155 Sandra Graf SUI T54 1:35: /12/69 GRAF 156 Margriet van den Broek NED T54 1:38: /03/74 VAN DEN BROEK 157 Zou Lihong CHN T54 1:38: /02/84 ZOU 158 Madison de Rozario AUS T53 1:39: /11/93 DE ROZARIO 159 Katrina Gerhard USA T54 1:40: /12/96 GERHARD 160 Arielle Rausin USA T54 1:41: /09/93 RAUSIN 161 Aline Rocha BRA T54 1:41: /02/91 ROCHA 162 Jade Jones GBR T54 1:41: /01/96 JONES 163 Tsubasa Kina JPN T54 1:44: /05/90 KINA 164 Annika Zeyen GER T54 1:51: /02/85 ZEYEN 165 Patricia Keller SUI T54 1:57: /09/89 KELLER Preview Switzerland s Manuela Schär on her way to winning the 2017 London Marathon Manuela Schär smashed the women s wheelchair course record to take her first London Marathon victory 12 months ago and the Swiss star will start as favourite to win the coveted $25,000 prize for a second time as she faces the daunting US trio of Tatyana McFadden, Amanda McGrory and Susannah Scaroni. Schär arrived in London last year full of confidence after racing to the quickest marathon in history at the Boston Marathon six days earlier. She promptly destroyed the field over the London course and went on to notch up further World Marathon Majors wins in Berlin and New York last autumn, and Tokyo this February. McFadden got the better of her in Chicago and the US star and World Marathon Majors champion will be keen to regain the London crown she won four times in a row between 2013 and Forced to miss last year s race after operations for blood clots, McFadden returned to form on the track last July when she won four golds at the London 2017 World Championships. McGrory is also in good form having placed second in Boston, London and Chicago in 2017 before taking third in New York. She won the London title in 2009 and 2011 and has been on the podium no fewer than six times. China s Paralympic champion Zou Lihong is another potential threat while up and coming Australian Madison de Rozario was a top-five finisher in Chicago and New York last autumn. British hopes rest with Jade Jones who made the top five in London for the first time last year with a personal best and will be looking to improve again in There will be 19 athletes in total in the women s wheelchair race. Media Guide

10 Manuela Schär (Switzerland) Born: 5 December 1984 Lucerne Marathon best: 1:28:17 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: nd 1:46:44, nd 1:43:56, nd 1:44:15, st 1:39:57 Berlin: st 1:41:39, st 1:43:00, st 1:40:05 Boston: th 1:39:29, nd 1:43:30, st 1:28:17 Chicago: nd 1:42:37, nd 1:45:12, nd 1:41:56, nd 1:42:29, rd 1:39:17 New York: rd 2:03:53, nd 1:43:25, nd 1:44:57, nd 1:49:28, st 1:48:09 Tokyo: nd 1:43:27, st 1:43:25 Paralympics: th 1:38:46 Worlds: st 1:49:45, nd 1:43:56 Amanda McGrory (United States) Born: 9 June 1986 Kennett Square, PA Marathon best: 1:33:13 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: nd 1:51:58, st 1:50:39, rd 1:52:36, st 1:46:31, th 1:54:41, nd 1:46:04, rd 1:46:25, th 1:47:41, nd 1:44:34 Boston: th 2:10:44, rd 1:57:20, rd 1:49:19, th 1:50:52, th 1:57:21, th 1:49:31, nd 1:33:13 Chicago: st 1:45:27, st 1:55:12, rd 1:50:49, st 1:47:25, rd 1:42:55, rd 1:45:55, th 1:50:02, rd 1:47:55, nd 1:39:15 New York: st 1:54:17, rd 1:56:09, nd 2:11:25, rd 2:09:42, st 1:50:24, th 2:05:06, th 1:52:40, th 1:59:40, rd 1:53:15, rd 1:53:11 Tokyo: th 1:56:58, st 1:43:27, th 1:48:01 Paralympics: nd 1:40:00, th 1:46:35, rd 1:38:45 Worlds: rd 1:48:24, th 1:51:46, rd 1:46:25 Schär won the world marathon title in 2013 and became the joint official world record holder when she clocked 1:38:07 in Oita later that year. Last year she became the fastest woman wheelchair racer in history when she clocked 1:28:17 in Boston, beating the previous best by almost six minutes. Six days later she smashed the London course record to end a string of second places. She went on to win the Berlin title for a third time after McFadden and McGrory s flight was cancelled. Schär was third behind the US pair in Chicago, clinched her first New York title in November and won the Tokyo Marathon in February this year to establish an unassailable lead in the World Marathon Majors standings. She won The Big Half in March. She was second at the 2015 World Championships and sixth at the Rio Paralympics. She won three track silvers at the 2013 World Championships and won 200m silver at London She has a 200m silver and two bronze medals from Paralympics. She is the European record holder at 200m, 400m and 800m and won four gold medals at the 2014 European Championships. She grew up in Altishofen with her brother, Ivo, and parents, Elisabeth and Ireno. She was injured in an accident in 1993 and started wheelchair sport in 1998 aged 14. She lives in Lucerne where she was born and is an ambassador for Right To Play Switzerland which helps children in disadvantaged countries take part in sport. Her surname means scissors in English. McGrory makes her 10th appearance in London with two wins, three second places and two thirds behind her. She smashed the then course record in 2011 just a week after taking the Paris Marathon in an almost identical time. She was second behind Schär last year in her quickest time so far, having beaten the Swiss racer in Tokyo two months earlier. She also has two New York, two Oita and three Chicago Marathon titles to her name. She won three medals at the Rio Paralympics, clinching bronze in the marathon just a second behind McFadden and Zou after taking 1500m silver and 5000m bronze. She won a full set of medals at the Beijing Games and was fourth in the marathon at London She won two golds at the 2011 Worlds and bronze in the marathon, and claimed two silvers and a bronze on the track at London McGrory was paralysed from the waist down at the age of five when an injection for an allergy damaged her spinal cord. She graduated in psychology from the University of Illinois in 2010 and still lives in Champaign. 74 Media Guide 2018

11 Susannah Scaroni (United States) Born: 16 May 1991 Burns, Oregon Marathon best: 1:33:17 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:50:47, th 1:51:01, th 1:47:06, th 1:52:50, rd 1:47:37 Boston: th 1:50:44, th 1:53:28, rd 1:38:33, rd 1:57:21, th 1:46:53, rd 1:33:17 Chicago: th 2:02:51, nd 1:56:30, th 1:51:56, th 1:50:10, th 1:52:50, th 1:44:11 New York: th 2:05:07, th 1:57:55, th 1:54:24, th 1:58:16, th 2:11:43 Tokyo: rd 1:43:29, th 1:54:02 Paralympics: th 1:58:37, th 1:38:47 Worlds: th 2:00:36, th 1:47:06 Tatyana McFadden (United States) Born: 21 April 1989 St Petersburg, Russia Marathon best: 1:35:05 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:46:34, th 2:05:38, st 1:46:02, st 1:45:12, st 1:41:14, st 1:44:14 Boston: st 1:45:24, st 1:35:06, st 1:52:54, st 1:42:16, th 1:35:05 Chicago: st 1:50:47, rd 1:56:11, st 1:45:03, st 1:49:52, st 1:42:35, st 1:44:50, st 1:41:10, st 1:42:28, st 1:39:15 New York: th 2:08:05, st 2:02:22, rd 1:52:52, st 1:59:13, st 1:42:16, st 1:43:04, st 1:47:43, nd 1:51:02 Tokyo: nd 1:41:14, nd 1:44:51 Paralympics: th 1:58:47, nd 1:38:44 Worlds: st 1:41:14 Since her first marathon in Chicago in 2011, Susannah Scaroni has consistently finished in the top 10 in the world s major races, and has made the medal podium six times, including at last year s Tokyo, Boston and London Marathons where she was third each time. In Boston, she clocked the third quickest time ever behind Schär and McGrory, a personal best by five minutes. Her highest WMM finish was second in Chicago in She was seventh there last October and ninth in New York. She was seventh in the Rio Paralympic marathon in 1:38:47 having placed eighth in 2012, just ahead of fellow Illinois student McFadden. She was fifth at the 2015 Worlds. She won the Los Angeles Marathon in 2013 and 2014 and the New York half marathon last March. She raced in the heats of the 800m in Rio and was sixth in the 800m and 1500m at the London 2017 Worlds. Scaroni comes from Tekoa in Washington state. She was injured in a car accident aged five and took up wheelchair racing in 2002 aged 11. She joined the University of Illinois wheelchair racing team in 2012 and is coached by Adam Bleakney. She graduated in dietetics in May She has two brothers and one sister. McFadden dominated women s marathon racing for four years, going undefeated in Boston, London, Chicago and New York from 2012 to 2016, and won 13 races in a row until beaten in Tokyo in February In 2013 she became the first athlete to win all four in one year, and repeated the feat each year until She s won four London titles, seven Chicago Marathons and five in New York. She smashed her PB in Boston in 2014 and lowered it by a second there last April when fourth. She held the London course record from 2013 until She made her name on the track when she won two Paralympic medals in Athens aged 15. She won four more Paralympic medals in Beijing and at London 2012 won golds in T54 400m, 800m and 1500m. In Rio she added the 5000m, but was beaten on the line by Zou Lihong in the marathon. She has 16 Paralympic medals in all, including a silver at cross country skiing from Sochi She won a record six gold medals at the Lyon 2013 World Champs, having won four golds and a silver in She won four golds at London 2017 last July. Born with spina bifida, McFadden was abandoned in a Russian orphanage and walked on her hands for the first six years of her life. She was adopted by an American family and grew up in Maryland. Nicknamed the Beast, she now competes for Illinois Wheelchair Racers. Her campaigning led to a disability sports equality law being named after her. Her sister Hannah is a wheelchair racer. Media Guide

12 Sandra Graf (Switzerland) Born: 9 December 1969 Appenzell Marathon best: 1:35:44 Padua 2008 London Marathon record: st 1:48:04, nd 1:50:40, nd 1:52:34, rd 1:46:33, th 1:54:43, rd 1:48:01, th 1:46:27, th 1:52:49 Berlin: st 1:42:48, st 1:39:31, nd 1:46:16, nd 1:45:21, st 1:46:19, nd 1:45:24 Boston: rd 2:04:00, rd 1:42:13, rd 1:51:46, rd 2:02:30, nd 1:46:54, th 1:59:18 Chicago: th 1:46:15, th 1:44:03 New York: nd 1:53:37, th 2:03:04, th 1:56:29, th 1:58:10, th 2:20:34, th 2:04:42, th 2:13:03, th 1:52:40, rd 1:52:05 Paralympics: th 1:59:54, th 1:59:09, rd 1:40:01, rd 1:46:35 Worlds: nd 1:44:23, nd 1:48:24, dnf, th 1:46:27 Margriet van den Broek (Netherlands) Born: 30 March 1974 Tilburg Marathon best: 1:38:33 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:49:50 Berlin: rd 1:52:05 Boston: th 1:38:33 : None Margriet van den Broek made her marathon debut in Berlin in September 2016, finishing third to Manuela Schär and Sandra Graf in 1:52:05. She improved that time a month later when she clocked 1:45:43 to place second to Tsubasa Kina at the Oita Marathon at the end of October, and again in Boston last April when she clocked 1:38:33 in eighth. She was fourth in London last year and ranked sixth in the marathon among T54s in She beat former London Marathon champion Amanda McGrory in the Tyne Tunnel 2km wheelchair race in She was third in the Great North Run that year behind McGrory and Britain s Shelly Woods, clocking 53:58. Graf destroyed the 11-year-old London course record by more than a minute in 2008, picked up a bronze medal at the Paralympics in Beijing, and set a world half marathon record of 50:11 in Lisbon. She added another Paralympic bronze at London 2012, while she was eighth in Rio where she was her country s flag bearer. She has silver medals from the 2006 and 2011 Worlds, although she did not finish in Lyon 2013 and was fourth in London in She has won the Berlin Marathon three times, and broke the course record there in She was second behind Schär last year. In London she was just beaten by McGrory in 2009 and by Wakako Tsuchida in She was quicker than her own course record in 2011 when third behind McGrory and Woods, and was third again in 2013 six days after finishing second in Boston. She won gold in the 16km handcycling time trial at London 2012 but could not retain the title in Rio where she was eighth. She broke four national records at the 2015 Grand Prix in Notwill, Switzerland, in May 2015 to qualify for the World Championships in Doha where she won bronze medals in the 400m and 800m and made the finals of the 100m, 200m, 1500m and 5000m. She was a European silver medallist over 100m in 2014 and made the finals of the 100m, 400m and 800m at the Rio Paralympics. Van den Broek has a displaced hip and used crutches until she was 35. She began using a wheelchair in 2010, and was a wheelchair basketball player before taking up athletics after being spotted at a talent identification day at 38. She studied occupational therapy and works as a counsellor at a social services organisation in Amsterdam where she lives. Graf lives in Gais, Switzerland, with her husband and coach, Martin, and daughters, Melanie and Mara. She broke her spine in 1991 falling from gymnastics rings. She s been racing for 18 years. 76 Media Guide 2018

13 Zou Lihong (China) Born: 26 February 1984 Dali Marathon best: 1:38:44 Paralympics 2016 London Marathon record: th 1:52:42 New York: th 2:03:20 Tokyo: th 1:44:24 Paralympics: st 1:38:44 Madison de Rozario (Australia) Born: 24 November 1993 Marathon best: 1:39:22 Chicago 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:53:44 Chicago: th 1:39:22 New York: th 2:04:28 : None Zou is the reigning Paralympic marathon champion. She beat Tatyana McFadden by a fraction on the line in Rio in what was only the second marathon of her career. She made her debut in London the previous April where she was fifth in 1:52:42. She was fourth in Tokyo last February and in New York last November behind Schär, McFadden and McGrory. She won three golds and a silver on the track at the Doha 2015 World Championships, winning the 800m, 5000m and 4x400m relay and finishing second in the 1500m. She won 400m silver at London 2017 last summer and was a finalist at 100m, 800m and 5000m. She won an 800m bronze at the London 2012 Paralympics where she was also fourth at 400m and fifth at 1500m. She was born in Dali, contracted polio as a child and took up para-athletics in 2008 in Shanghai. She made her international debut the following year and won a gold medal at the 2011 National Para Games in Zhejiang Province. De Rozario produced the best marathon performance of her life when she finished fourth in Chicago last October in 1:39:22, a huge personal best for the world T m champion and good enough to rank third in the world for T53 racers. A month later she picked up more World Marathon Majors points when she was fifth in New York. This is her second appearance at the London Marathon after she was eighth here in 2013 in 1:53:44. De Rozario won the world 5000m title at London 2017 where she also picked up silver in the T53 800m and bronze in the T m. She was world T53 800m champion in 2015 and won two T53 silvers at the Rio Paralympics, for 800m and 4x400m. In the relay, Australia were originally third, then disqualified and finally promoted to silver after winning an appeal. She competed in four events at London 2012 finishing fourth in the 800m. Born in Perth, she contracted transverse myelitis aged four. She first experienced paralysis in her feet and by the time she reached the hospital she had lost the ability to move her arms. Doctors reversed the effects from her waist up but she has had paraplegia ever since. She took up wheelchair racing in 2006 after trying wheelchair basketball and tennis. Nicknamed Bandit, she studies sports science and is coached by Australian wheelchair racing legend, Louise Sauvage. Media Guide

14 Katrina Gerhard (United States) Born: 13 December 1996 Marathon best: 1:40:34 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:54:34 Boston: th 2:01:41, th 1:40:34 Chicago: th 2:01:08, th 1:56:54, th 1:54:18 New York: th 2:03:02, th 2:07:27 : None Arielle Rausin (United States) Born: 16 September 1993 Marathon best: 1:41:26 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: dnf Boston: th 2:03:04, th 1:41:26 Chicago: th 1:59:03 New York: th 2:13:07, th 2:12:29 : None Katrina Gerhard finished sixth in the London Marathon last year and has been a consistent top 10 finisher in Boston, Chicago and New York over the last few years. She ranked seventh in the world last year after clocking 1:40:34 in Boston, improving her personal best by more than quarter of an hour. She went on to finish eighth in Chicago last October and seventh in New York. She won the Boston half marathon in 2014 when she was 17, and was fourth in the New York half marathon in In high school she competed in the 400m, 800m, 1500m, javelin and shot put, and in 2014 was named a US Paralympics Track and Field High School All- American. At 14 Gerhard misjudged a back flip while sword dancing (a form of folk dance), landed on her neck and broke her collarbone. Tests showed no damage to her spine but she was eventually diagnosed with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, a condition in the peripheral nerves that leads to a gradual loss of sensory and reflex functions. She lives in Acton, Massachusetts, and studies medicine at the University of Illinois where she competes for the Track and Road Racing Team. She took up the sport in high school when her friends dared her to join the school s athletics team. Arielle Rausin improved her marathon best from1:50:42 to 1:41:26 at last year s Boston Marathon where she was 10th, good enough to rank eighth in the world at the end of the year. She dropped out of the London Marathon six days later but notched up two more 10th-place finishes in the autumn, in Chicago and New York. She raced well at the Grandma s Marathon in Duluth in June 2016 when she clocked 1:55:30 to rank 16th in the world that year. She had finished 11th in the Boston Marathon in 2016 and went on to place seventh in New York. She has a half marathon best of 54:44. She completed the 55-mile Push Across Cayman in February Rausin was paralysed by a car accident in 2003 aged 10 and took up wheelchair in Born in Florida, she now lives in Urbana and studies mathematics and computer science at the University of Illinois where she is coached by Adam Bleakney as part of the University of Illinois Track and Road Racing Team. She founded Ingenium Manufacturing in 2016, a company using 3D printers to create wheelchair racing gloves for athletes. Her mother, Krista Dondero, is an author. She has published two children s fantasy books whose main protagonists are young girls who use wheelchairs. 78 Media Guide 2018

15 Aline Rocha (Brazil) Born: 20 February 1991 Marathon best: 1:41:40 Duluth 2016 London Marathon record: dq : None Paralympics: th 1:43:01 Jade Jones (Great Britain & NI) Born: 4 January 1996 Middlesbrough Marathon best: 1:41:44 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:59:59, dnf, dnf, th 1:51:46 Boston: th 1:41:44 New York: th 2:03:16, th 2:08:33 Worlds: dnf Rocha set her personal best to win the Grandma s Marathon in Duluth in 2016 on her final attempt to qualify for the Rio Paralympics in her home country. She made the team and finished 10th in the Rio marathon. She also competed in the 1500m and 5000m in Rio. She had tried for the qualifying time at the 2016 London Marathon that April but was disqualified after crossing the line in 10th place. She represented Brazil in para cross-country skiing at the 2017 World Cup and became the first Brazilian woman to compete at a Winter Paralympics when she raced the 1.1km, 5km, 12km and relay events at the Pyeongchang 2018 Games. Born in Pinhão, she was paralysed by a car accident in 2006, aged 15. She had not been interested in sport before her accident but soon took up para-athletics. Her husband Fernando Orso is a coordinator at the Regional Association of Athletes with an Impairment in Joacaba, Brazil. He is also her coach. Jade Jones made her senior marathon debut at the London Marathon in 2014 at 18 after winning the Mini London Marathon three times in a row from 2011 to 2013, twice breaking the under 17s girls course record. She failed to finish the full marathon in both 2015 and 2016 but made a huge improvement to place fifth last year in 1:51:46. That performance came only six days after she had smashed her personal best in Boston, clocking 1:41:44 to rank ninth in the world for She was sixth in New York in 2016 and eighth last year. She won the Yorkshire Marathon in She was selected for Britain s 2011 World Championship team at 15 and finished fifth in the T54 200m. She set personal bests for 400m, 800m and 1500m in 2012 and was selected for Britain s London 2012 Paralympic team. At 16, she made the final of the 1500m. In 2013 she reached four finals at the World Championships in Lyon, the 400m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m, finishing fourth in the 400m. Injury kept her out of the 2015 Worlds in Doha, but she competed in the heats of the 800m, 1500m and 5000m in Rio. She won a silver and bronze at the 2014 European Championships, at 800m and 1500m respectively, and took another bronze for 1500m at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Jones won the European para-triathlon title last year and picked up a world silver medal. Jones was born without a femur in her right leg and her foot was amputated when she was 10. A pupil at Ormesby School in Middlesbrough, she started racing after being invited to try out a racing chair by Tanni Grey- Thompson and her husband, Ian, who were attending a sports day. Within a few weeks she was training under Grey-Thompson at New Markse Harriers and began entering competitions in Nicknamed JJ, she is now studying law at Teesside University. Her partner Callum Hall is also a British wheelchair racer. Media Guide

16 Tsubasa Kina (Japan) Born: 18 May 1990 Marathon best: 1:44:56 Oita 2016 London Marathon record: None Tokyo: th 1:46:11, rd 1:46:17 : None Anika Zeyen (Germany) Born: 17 February 1985 Bonn Marathon best: 1:51:02 Berlin 2017 London Marathon record: None Berlin: rd 1:51:02 New York: th 2:07:23 Marathons in major championship: None Tsubasa Kina was due to make her London Marathon debut last year after winning her first ever marathon in Oita at the end of October She clocked 1:44:56 to rank 11th in the world. She was close to that time in Tokyo last February where she placed fifth in 1:46:11 but did not make it to the London start line. She was third in Tokyo this year in a very similar time, winning a place on a World Marathon Majors podium for the first time. She previously competed on the track and made the move up to the marathon in She was a basketball player before she injured herself lifting a barbell during training. She crushed her spine between the barbell and the floor after trying to lift 120kg in a training session. She works at Mobility Center Okinawa, helping wheelchair users find the best adaptability products and to get government support to aid their mobility. Zeyen is a former wheelchair basketball player who won Paralympic gold with Germany in London 2012 having taken silver in Beijing They were runners up again in Rio 2016 when she was her country s flag bearer at the closing ceremony. She took up wheelchair racing after the Rio Paralympics and placed third in the Berlin Marathon in September last year in 1:51:02, good enough to rank 15th in the world among T54s. She contested the New York Marathon in November when she was sixth in 2:07:23. She competed in five track events at the London 2017 World Championships, placing eighth in the 200m final. She was paralysed by a horse riding accident at age 14, and became an international wheelchair basketball player. Nicknamed Anni, she works as a design project coordinator for the International Paralympic Committee in Bonn where she was born and lives. 80 Media Guide 2018

17 Patricia Keller (Switzerland) Born: 26 September 1989 Marathon best: 1:57:27 Berlin 2017 London Marathon record: None Berlin: th 1:57:27 Paralympics: th 2:06:07 Worlds: th 2:04:06 Keller was fourth at the Berlin Marathon last September in a personal best of 1:57:27. She was 10th in the London 2012 Paralympic marathon. She also competed in the 5000m and 400m at those Games. She has represented Switzerland at the last four World Championships. She placed sixth in the marathon in She won a European bronze at 1500m in She was born in Zurich with spina bifida and took up para-athletics in Media Guide

18 T53/54 Men Bib Name Country Class PB Age DoB Bib name 186 David Weir GBR T54 1:26: /06/79 WEIR 187 Marcel Hug SUI T54 1:18: /01/86 HUG 188 Ernst van Dyk RSA T54 1:18: /04/73 VAN DYK 189 Josh Cassidy CAN T54 1:18: /11/84 CASSIDY 190 Masazumi Soejima JPN T54 1:18: /08/70 SOEJIMA 191 Kurt Fearnley AUS T54 1:18: /03/81 FEARNLEY 192 Hiroyuki Yamamoto JPN T54 1:19: /10/79 YAMAMOTO 193 Heinz Frei SUI T53 1:20: /01/58 FREI 194 Hiroki Nishida JPN T54 1:20: /11/84 NISHIDA 195 Kota Hokinoue JPN T54 1:21: /03/74 HOKINOUE 196 Joshua George USA T53 1:21: /03/84 GEORGE 197 Rafael Botello Jimenez ESP T54 1:22: /02/79 BOTELLO JIMENEZ 198 Aaron Pike USA T54 1:22: /05/86 PIKE 199 Jordi Madera ESP T53 1:22: /01/80 MADERA 200 Ryota Yoshida JPN T54 1:23: /09/81 YOSHIDA 201 Krige Schabort USA T54 1:24: /09/63 SCHABORT 202 Simon Lawson GBR T53 1:25: /06/82 LAWSON 203 Tomoki Suzuki JPN T54 1:26: /06/94 SUZUKI 204 Sho Watanabe JPN T54 1:26: /11/91 WATANABE 205 Daniel Romanchuk USA T54 1:26: /03/98 ROMANCHUK 206 Brian Siemann USA T53 1:26: /10/89 SIEMANN 207 Pierre Fairbank FRA T53 1:28: /07/71 FAIRBANK 208 Patrick Monahan IRL T53 1:29: /01/86 MONAHAN 209 Hong Suk-Man KOR T54 1:29: /12/75 SUK-MAN 210 Alex DuPont CAN T54 1:31: /09/85 DUPONT 211 Jose Jiménez CRC T54 1:31: /07/82 JIMENEZ 212 JohnBoy Smith GBR T54 1:32: /11/89 SMITH 213 Brent Lakatos CAN T53 1:32: /01/80 LAKATOS 214 Zhang Yong CHN T54 1:33: /05/92 ZHANG 215 Alhassane Balde GER T54 1:35: /12/85 BALDE 216 Dai Yungqiang CHN T54 1:36: /07/90 DAI Preview David Weir became the London Marathon s most successful ever champion in 2017 when he clinched a record seventh victory and the 38-year-old returns in 2018 seeking an unprecedented eighth men s wheelchair title. The chief threat to Weir will again come from Swiss superstar Marcel Hug who has won the London crown twice in recent years and was just one second behind the Briton last April. The man they call the Silver Bullet has been dominant on the marathon circuit since He won the Paralympic title in Rio, took the inaugural Abbott World Marathon Majors Wheelchair Series in 2017 and bounced back from his London defeat to clinch victories in Berlin, Chicago and New York last autumn. London course record holder Kurt Fearnley will also be seeking a third London win after placing third in last year s race. The Australian won Paralympic titles in 2004 and 2008, broke the London course record in 2009 and has been Hug s most consistent challenger over the last two seasons. South Africa s 10-time Boston winner Ernst van Dyk will also be in the hunt. He is looking for his first London victory on his 13th appearance. Others likely to challenge for medals include the 2015 world champion, Joshua George, the veteran world record holder, Heinz Frei of Switzerland, and a talented group of Japanese racers including Kota Hokinoue, who was second in Berlin last year, Sho Watanabe, who beat Hug in Tokyo in 2017, and Hiroyuki Yamamoto, who won the Tokyo Marathon this February. Britain s rising star, JohnBoy Smith, could also be a contender. Smith lies fifth in the current Majors standings after placing fifth in Berlin and second in New York last year. There will be 53 athletes in total in the men s race. 82 Media Guide 2018

19 David Weir (Great Britain & NI) Born: 5 June 1979 Carshalton, Surrey Marathon best: 1:26:17 Boston 2016 London Marathon record: th 1:47:11, rd 1:50:55, st 1:39:44, nd 1:34:48, nd 1:36:56, rd 1:36:03, st 1:29:48, st 1:30:49, st 1:33:36, nd 1:28:57, rd 1:37:01, st 1:30:05, st 1:32:26, th 1:31:31, nd 1:32:42, nd 1:31:32, rd 1:35: st 1:31:06 Berlin: st 1:27:36 Boston: th 1:26:17 New York: th 1:36:48, st 1:37:29 Paralympics: dns, st 1:30:20 Worlds: dnf, dns, nd 1:31:32 Marcel Hug (Switzerland) Born: 16 January 1986 Lucerne Marathon best: 1:18:04 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: nd 1:36:07, th 1:35:35, nd 1:32:27, nd 1:31:29, st 1:32:41, dnf, st 1:35:19, nd 1:31:07 Berlin: nd 1:28:33, nd 1:29:35, rd 1:32:22, rd 1:39:01, rd 1:35:58, st 1:29:31, st 1:29:43, nd 1:31:03, st 1:29:51, st 1:29:03 Boston: th 1:28:19, th 1:24:39, st 1:29:53, st 1:24: st 1:18:04 Chicago: nd 1:30:48, st 1:32:57, st 1:29:23 New York: th 1:49:21, rd 1:40:43, th 1:38:42, st 1:40:14, th 1:37:32, rd 1:30:54, st 35:49, st 1:37:21 Tokyo: nd 1:28:01 Paralympics: dnf, nd 1:30:21, st 1:26:16 Worlds: th 1:29:57, dnf, st 1:28:44, dnf Weir became the most successful elite athlete in the history of the London Marathon when he clinched his seventh men s wheelchair title last year, finally surpassing Tanni Grey-Thompson s record five years after he won his sixth title in Weir beat the newly crowned World Marathon Majors champion Marcel Hug. He won the Mini London Marathon seven times before his full marathon debut in 2000 and is the only male athlete to win both mini and senior events. He broke the British record in Los Angeles in 2007, shaved 10 seconds off to win the 2015 Berlin Marathon and was another minute quicker at the 2016 Boston Marathon when he was fourth in 1:26:17. He has also won the New York Marathon twice and broke the world half marathon record in Lisbon in March At the 2008 Paralympics he won gold medals in the 800m and 1500m, silver at 400m and bronze at 5000m. He won three golds at the 2011 World Championships, then at London 2012 went one better, adding the marathon. He won a 1500m silver at the 2015 Worlds in Doha, but returned from Rio empty handed from five events. He holds UK records at all track distances to 5000m and at 10km, half marathon and marathon. He broke three minutes for One Mile in London in Weir is coached by Jenny Archer and together they run the Weir Archer Academy in Surrey. He was made an MBE in 2009 and an OBE in He has two daughters, Ronie and Tillia Grace, and two sons, Mason and Lenny. He was born with a severed spinal cord and took up the sport aged eight. Hug is the most successful male wheelchair marathon athlete of modern times. He is the reigning Paralympic and World Marathon Majors champion, and a two-time London Marathon winner. He won every WMM race in 2016 but was narrowly beaten by Japan s Sho Watanabe in Tokyo last February. He bounced back in Boston last April, when he clocked the fastest time in history, and was just beaten by Weir in London six days later before winning in Berlin, Chicago and New York last autumn. He won his first London crown in 2014 but was forced to drop out in 2015 on Tower Bridge, when he relinquished his world title. At the 2011 World Championships he won the 10,000m title and he added World golds at 400m, 1500m, 5000m and marathon in He won silver and bronze at the 2015 Doha Worlds having taken three golds at the 2014 Europeans, and clinched another triple at the London 2017 World Championships last summer in the 800m, 1500m and 5000m. He won 800m and marathon titles in Rio, plus silvers at 1500m and 5000m. Hug was born with spina bifida and grew up on a farm in Pfyn, Thurgau. He is the youngest of four brothers and started competing at 10. Nicknamed the Silver Bullet due to his helmet, he is coached by Paul Odermatt. Media Guide

20 Ernst van Dyk (South Africa) Born: 4 April 1973 Ceres, Western Cape Marathon best: 1:18:04 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: nd- 1:41:53, dnf, th 1:33:46, th 1:34:25, rd 1:28:58, th 1:44:11, th 1:36:20, rd 1:31:30, rd 1:32:42, th 1:31:38, th 1:35:23, th 1:31:08 Berlin: nd 1:29:53 Boston: st 1:25:12, st 1:23:19, st 1:28:32, st 1:18:27, st 1:24:11, st 1:25:29, rd 1:37:10, st 1:26:49, st 1:33:29, st 1:26: rd 1:18:51, th 1:24:23, nd 1:27:12, st 1:20: nd 1:36:27, nd 1:24:06, nd 1:18:04 Chicago: st 1:30:37, rd 1:32:13, th 1:30:50, th 1:33:02, th 1:31:02 New York: st, nd 1:40:14, nd 1:30:56, st 1:30:54, th 1:40:08, th 1:39:56 Tokyo: nd 1:26:01, th 1:30:15, rd 1:31:30 Paralympics: th 1:31:44, th 1:41:59, rd 1:23:17, th 1:30:11 Worlds: th 1:31:38 Josh Cassidy (Canada) Born: 15 November 1984 Ottawa Marathon best: 1:18:25 Boston 2012 London Marathon record: st 1:35:21, th 1:30:56, th 1:33:54, dnf, th 1:41:58, dnf, dnf, nd 1:34:46 Boston: th 1:39:48, st 1:18:25, th 1:30:54, th 1:27:24, th 1:38:24, th 1:26:03 Chicago: st, st, st, th 1:29:24, st 1:32:58, th 1:33:30, th 1:32:20, th 1:36:59, th 1:31:51 New York: th 1:51:36, th 1:49:29, th 1:53:09, th 1:40:46, th 1:42:48, th 1:39:30, th 1:52:57, th 1:41:08 Paralympics: th 1:33:06 Worlds: th 1:47:08, dnf, dnf Ernst van Dyk won six Boston Marathons in a row to 2006, and in 2004 clocked what was then the fastest marathon ever. He lowered that to 1:18:04 when he was runner-up to Hug in Boston last year. He has won 10 Boston titles altogether. He won the Chicago Marathon in 2013, was third there in 2014 and won New York in 2015 after two runner-up places. He is yet to win in London in 12 appearances although he has made the podium four times. At the Athens Paralympics van Dyk won two silvers and a bronze while in Beijing he won marathon bronze having taken gold in the handcycle road race two days before, a title he regained in Rio. Born without lower legs because of congenital birth defects, van Dyk was a swimmer before he took up wheelchair racing. He competed in both sports at the 1992 Paralympics. He is a Paralympic ambassador and owns a para-sports equipment company. He lives in Paarl with wife Suzanne and daughters, Lexi and Sunei. Cassidy rode what was then the quickest wheelchair marathon ever at Boston in 2012, clocking 1:18:25 (although not an official world record) and regained his Chicago title that October, his fourth in all. He became London Marathon champion when he came from behind to beat Weir on his London debut in Cassidy was fifth in 2011 but did not finish in 2013 after colliding with Ethiopia s Tiki Gelana at the 15km drinks station. He was 22nd last year after dropping out in 2015 and He holds Canadian records for every distance from 1500m to the marathon and claims to have more than 75 international medals. He represented Canada at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Paralympics. He did not win a medal in London when he had a flu bug, but made the final of the T54 800m and 1500m before finishing 12th in the marathon. He was 10th at 5000m in Rio but went out in the heats of the 800m and 1500m. He won 1500m bronze at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The eldest of 10 siblings, Cassidy was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, cancer of the spine and abdomen, weeks after he was born, and given a low chance of survival. He is a professional graphic designer and illustrator with an applied arts degree from Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. In 2015 he worked as a stuntman on the movie Suicide Squad which was filmed in Toronto. He lives in Guelph, Ontario. 84 Media Guide 2018

21 Masazumi Soejima (Japan) Born: 31 August 1970 Isahaya Marathon best: 1:18:50 Boston 2011 London Marathon record: th 1:30:13, th 1:44:35, th 1:32:29, rd 1:31:33, th 1:38:35, st 1:33:42 Berlin: st 1:26:50, nd 1:28:39, nd 1:31:41, st 1:28:46 Boston: st 1:29:16, rd 1:33:00, nd 1:36:57, th 1:28:06, st 1:18:50, th 1:23:27, th 1:30:01, rd 1:21:14, rd 1:36:28, th 1:27:31, th 1:26:09 Chicago: nd 1:32:30, nd 1:32:30, nd 1:28:01, th 1:32:21 New York: rd 1:36:16, nd 1:46:10, th 1:43:42, nd 1:37:31, st 1:31:41, th 1:30:57, th 1:47:53 Tokyo: st 1:32:21, st 1:27:15, st 1:33:07, st 1:25:38, th 1:32:06, th 1:26:02 Paralympics: th 1:23:55, th 1:30:24, th 1:30:13 Worlds: rd 1:28:22, rd 1:31:10, rd 1:31:33 Kurt Fearnley (Australia) Born: 23 March 1981 Cowra, New South Wales Marathon best: 1:18:51 Boston 2011 London Marathon record: nd 1:30:59, nd 1:34:00, st 1:28:56, th 1:41:37, st 1:31:29, nd 1:35:20, rd 1:31:07 Boston: nd 1:18:51, nd 1:21:39, th 1:46:25, rd 1:24:06, th 1:20:28 Chicago: st 1:28:47, st 1:30:16, st 1:29:09, st 1:30:46, nd 1:32:58, nd 1:30:24 New York: rd 1:31:45, st 1:29:22, st 1:33:58, st 1:44:51, st 1:35:58, st 1:30:55, th 1:35:21, nd 1:35:49 Tokyo: st 1:26:00, th 1:31:30 Paralympics: st 1:38:02, st 1:25:37, st 1:23:17, rd 1:30:21 Worlds: st 1:28:17, st 1:31:09 Soejima briefly became the second fastest wheelchair racer ever when he won the Boston Marathon in 2011 by a second from Kurt Fearnley and Ernst van Dyk. He had ended van Dyk s streak of six wins there in He was third in 2014 and 2015, as he was in London two years ago when he picked up his third marathon world bronze medal. He ranked 12th in the world last year with 1:26:09 from Boston. The Japanese record holder, he has won the Berlin Marathon twice, New York in 2011 and Tokyo a record five times. He was 11th at Rio 2016 having been fourth at London 2012 and 12th in Bejing. He made the 1500m semi-finals in Beijing and won a bronze in the 4x400m relay in Athens in Born in Isahaya, Soejima damaged his spine in an accident at his family s ironworks factory aged 23 and started marathon racing in He was appointed wheelchair race director of the Tokyo Marathon in June He runs Soejimart, an online shop selling athletics clothing, and founded wheelchair athletics club Socio Soejima. He lives in Fukuoka with his wife, Miyuki. Fearnley set the London Marathon course record in 2009 when he avenged two narrow defeats to Weir in 2007 and He won again in 2013, was second to Hug in 2016, as he was in Chicago and New York that year, and at the Rio Paralympics where he added silver to his bronze from London 2012 and golds from 2004 and He won the world marathon title in 2006 and He was third in London last year and runner-up in Chicago. He has won a record five New York titles, in 2015 he won his fourth Chicago crown, and he was on top at the 2016 Tokyo Marathon where he beat van Dyk in 1:26:00. He was fourth there this year. On the track, at London 2012 he took Paralympic silver in the 5000m and bronze in He was fourth at that distance at the 2015 Worlds. He has a Commonwealth Games gold at 1500m from 2010 and silver from He was sixth in the 1500m and 5000m at last summer s London 2017 World Championships. Fearnley is the youngest of five children. He has a congenital disorder, sacral agenesis, which means he was born without a lower spine. He wears lucky underwear in every marathon. He is married to Sheridan and has a son, Harry. They live in Newcastle, New South Wales. He is coached by Andrew Dawes. He was elected to the IPC Athletes Council in Media Guide

22 Hiroyuki Yamamoto (Japan) Born: 27 October 1979 Kitakyushu Marathon best: 1:19:32 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 2:16:39, th 1:43:39, th 1:33:00, th 1:31:33, th 1:36:45, th 1:43:29, dnf, th 1:31:10 Berlin: rd 1:34:28 Boston: st 1:25:32, th 1:25:15, th 1:39:36, th 1:28:16, rd 1:19:32 New York: th 1:45:23, th 1:33:53 Tokyo: rd 1:30:15, st 1:29:26, nd 1:29:07, st 1:30:43, th 1:37:01, th 1:29:13, th 1:28:23, st 1:26:23 Paralympics: th 1:23:22, nd 1:40:54, th 1:30:14 Worlds: dnf, st 1:42:31, th 1:43:29 Heinz Frei (Switzerland) Born: 21 January 1958 Oberbipp Marathon best: 1:20:14 Oita 1999 (world record) London Marathon record: rd 1:51:58, st 1:39:14, st 1:35:18, st 1:35:27, th 1:34:03, th 1:30:15, nd 1:30:07, th 1:32:30, th 1:31: th 1:35:05, th 1:33:23, th 1:31:12 Berlin: 1st 20 times, nd 1:29:32, nd 1:29:48, st 1:31:00, nd 1:36:12, th 1:29:54, th 1:32:45 Boston: th 1:33:07 Chicago: st 1:26:56, nd 1:29:23, th 1:30:41, th 1:32:22 New York: th 1:37:24, th 1:34:31 Paralympics: st 1:58:52, th 1:48:20, st 1:30:15, rd 1:32:42, rd 1:29:29, th 1:32:04, th 1:25:43, th 1:33:06, th 1:40:29 Worlds: st, st 1:32:25, st 1:27:58, nd 1:28:17, nd 1:31:09, th 1:32:27, th 1:33:23 The three-time Tokyo champion was the top ranked Japanese racer in the world last year after finishing third in Boston in a personal best and Japanese record of 1:19:32. He added this year s Tokyo title to those he won in 2012 and 2014 after beating Tomoki Suzuki in a thrilling sprint finish. He has not had good luck in London. He finished 13th on his first two attempts, getting flat tyres in both 2010 and On his debut, he punctured twice. He got a flat again in 2011, dropped out at half way in 2016 and was ninth last year. He also won in Osaka and was second in Oita in 2012 while he was third in Berlin in At the Beijing Paralympics he was just five seconds behind gold medallist Kurt Fearnley in sixth place, but he could only finish 22nd in London and 12th in Rio. He was 10th over 5000m at London 2012 but did not make the final of the 1500m. He broke the Japanese half marathon record in Hokkaido in Yamamoto injured his spinal cord in a motorcycle accident at 20. He took up wheelchair marathons at 30. He is married and has one son. They live in Fukuoka. His nickname is Hiro-san. He always eats a specially made Italian pizza before leaving Japan for a race. 86 Media Guide 2018 Heinz Frei has won more than 100 marathons in his long career, including 20 in Berlin and 14 in Oita, where he broke the official world record 19 years ago and clocked 1:29:30 in 2016 to rank world No.1 among T53s at age 59. Last year he ranked sixth with 1:31:12 in London where he was 15th, the first time he has been outside the top 10 in 12 races. He won the London Marathon three times in the 1990s and was second to Weir in 2011 by two seconds. Rio was his ninth Paralympics. He won the marathon title in 1984 and 1992, was third in 1996 and 2000, and 17th in He was world champion three times from 1994 to Frei has broken numerous world records from 400m to marathon, and recorded a world best for 100km in He has won 15 Paralympic gold medals (35 medals in all) in 32 years 11 in athletics, three as a handcyclist and one in cross country skiing. Frei was paralysed from an accident in 1978 while running in the mountains. He took up wheelchair racing in 1980 but now concentrates on handcycling and winter sports. He lives in Oberbipp, is married to Rita and his children are Jan and Tamara.

23 Hiroki Nishida (Japan) Born: 3 November 1984 Izumi Marathon best: 1:20:28 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:41:48, th 1:35:32, th 1:31:11 Berlin: rd 1:29:53, th 1:32:47 Boston: th 1:32:34, th 1:20:28 Chicago: th 1:30:35 New York: th 1:40:16 Tokyo: th 1:33:23, th 1:26:43, th 1:28:12, th 1:31:31 Worlds: th 1:37:34, th 1:41:48 Hiroki Nishida lowered his personal best by five minutes when he was fifth at last year s Boston Marathon in 1:20:28, good enough to rank fifth in the world for Kota Hokinoue (Japan) Born: 30 March 1974 Izuka, Fukuoka Prefecture Marathon best: 1:21:14 Boston 2014 London Marathon record: th 1:40:59, dnf, th 1:36:00, th 1:31:31, th 1:32:43, th 1:32:22, th 1:35:37, th 1:31:09 Berlin: nd 1:30:08, st 1:32:25, rd 1:30:39, th 1:41:08, nd 1:32:42 Boston: th 1:46:45, rd 1:27:05, rd 1:23:26, rd 1:27:13, nd 1:21:14, th 1:36:29, th 1:23:07 Chicago: th 1:32:16, th 1:30:57, th 1:31:52 New York: th 1:42:44, th 1:40:16, th 1:30:57, th 1:33:13, th 1:42:27 Tokyo: nd, nd 1:29:31, rd 1:34:42, rd 1:34:45, st 1:30:23, rd 1:26:01, th 1:28:03 Paralympics: th 1:23:22, th 1:31:13, th 1:30:11 Worlds: th 1:32:26, th 1:31:10, rd 1:32:27, th 1:32:22 He was 13th in London six days later in his best time on the course, after placing sixth in 2016, and went on to clinch top 10 places in Berlin and Chicago last autumn. His one podium finish at a World Marathon Majors race came when he was third in Berlin in 2016 behind Marcel Hug and Ernst van Dyk. He finished sixth at the Tokyo Marathon in 2015, 2016 and 2018 and was seventh last year. He was 10th at the 2013 World Championships in 1:37:34 and 17th two years later. He ranked fourth in the world in 2015 for T54s and 11th in He injured his spinal cord in a bicycling accident in 2004 leaving him paralysed in both legs. He began wheelchair racing in He is nicknamed Doka because, before his accident, he was a baseball catcher and resembled Dokaben, a famous anime baseball character. He lives in Izumi where he was born. Hokinoue broke the Japanese record in 2011 when he clocked 1:22:01 finishing second in Oensingen, and he lowered it again in Boston in April 2014 when he was second in 1:21:14, ranking second in the world below Van Dyk. Just two weeks earlier he had finished fourth at the London Marathon, his highest place in seven attempts, and he went on to win the 2014 Berlin Marathon and the 2015 Tokyo Marathon. He ranked eighth in the world in 2017 with 1:23:07 from Boston. He picked up a world bronze medal in Lyon in 2013 when he finished just ahead of Frei. He has placed fifth, sixth and seventh in the last three Paralympic marathons. He was fifth in the 5000m at Beijing An experienced track racer over distances from 400m to 10,000m, Hokinoue set Japanese records at 5000m and 10,000m in Hokki injured his spine in a motorcycle accident in March 2000 and began wheelchair racing in 2002 when a friend suggested he give it a go. He founded a wheelchair racing team called Team Blue Tag 2 Arm Drive. He is married and lives in Nogata. Media Guide

24 Joshua George (United States) Born: 18 March 1984 Fairfax, Virginia Marathon best: 1:21:47 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:34:46, th 1:46:57, th 1:39:56, th 1:39:10, th 1:35:08, st 1:31:31, th 1:38:40, th 1:31:10 Boston: th 2:02:58, th 1:38:23, th 1:35:44, th 1:37:41, th 1:24:49, th 1:38:15, th 1:34:19, th 1:21:47 Chicago: th 1:56:49, st 1:41:01, st 1:36:13, th 1:40:30, st 1:38:31, th 1:38:59, th 1:42:47, rd 1:29:33, rd 1:36:06, rd 1:30:38, st 1:32:12, rd 1:30:48, rd 1:32:59 New York: th 1:38:06, th 1:54:30, th 1:44:22, th 1:39:02, th 1:46:43, th 1:33:09, nd 1:50:55, rd 1:39:01 Tokyo: th 1:28:03 Paralympics: th 1:30:29, th 1:39:56, dnf Worlds: th 1:32:28, st 1:31:31 Rafael Botello Jimenez (Spain) Born: 23 February 1979 Vic, Barcelona Marathon best: 1:22:09 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:37:26, th 1:37:38, th 2:14:22, th 1:40:01, st 1:45:27, th 1:36:45, th 1:54:23, th 1:38:35, th 1:31:09 Berlin: th, th, rd 1:32:54, th 1:34:15, th 2:20:04 Boston: th 1:38:52, th 1:31:12, th 1:25:14, th 1:36:56, th 1:35:28, th 1:26:57, th 1:44:27, th 1:22:09 Chicago: th 1:39:56, rd 1:28:46, rd 1:28:46, th 1:33:40, th 1:49:57, th 1:30:59, th 1:37:21, th 1:30:27 New York: th, th, th 1:57:21, th 1:43:42, th 1:47:39, th 1:42:30, th 1:46:43, th 1:39:22, th 1:46:44, th 1:40:01 Paralympics: th 1:23:53, th 1:33:05 Worlds: dnf, th 1:34:27, th 1:54:23 George won the London Marathon in 2015 and took his first world title with it, beating Weir to the line. He went on to finish third in Chicago and second in New York that year. He won his hometown Chicago Marathon four times between 2003 and Last year he lowered his personal best by a minute when he clocked 1:21:47 placing sixth in Boston to rank No.1 T53 in the world. He broke the Paralympic T53 100m record to become the 2008 champion. He also took 800m silver in Beijing. He competed in six events at London 2012, winning bronze in the T53 800m, his fifth Paralympic medal, and in five events in Rio, placing fifth at 800m and 5000m. He won four T53 golds at the 2006 Worlds and was fifth in the marathon in Lyon George became disabled at four when he fell more than 36m (120 feet) out of a 12th floor window. He landed on his feet but was paralysed from the waist down. He was described as a living miracle by doctors. He played wheelchair basketball for USA at the 2006 World Championships and won gold at the 2008 ParaPan Games. He works for wheelchair component manufacturer Intelliwheels in Champaign where he lives. Botello finished fifth in London last year, his best place in nine races on the course. That performance came just six days after he had shaved nine seconds from his PB in Boston to rank sixth in the world for He is the third fastest European ever on a legal course behind Swiss pair Heinz Frei and Marcel Hug. He notched up two more top 10 WMM finishes last year, placing fifth in Chicago and seventh in New York. He was 11th at the Beijing Paralympic marathon and ninth at London 2012 but did not race in Rio. He won the Paris Marathon in He holds Spanish records for the mile and 10,000m on the track, and at 5km, 10km and marathon on the road. He represented Spain over 5000m at London 2012 and at 1500m and 5000m at the 2015 and 2017 Worlds. Rafa Botello lives in Manlieu. He has a spinal cord injury as a result of a bicycle accident in He began wheelchair athletics in 2003 and entered his first official competition that year. He also competes for Spain at triathlon and cycling. He organises the Lanzarote Marathon and the Cali half in Colombia. 88 Media Guide 2018

25 Aaron Pike (United States) Born: 4 May 1986 Park Rapids, Minnesota Marathon best:1:22:09 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:44:24, th 1:50:47, th 1:35:33, th 1:31:10 Boston: th 1:47:10, th 1:38:17, th 1:29:52, th 1:32:45, th 1:39:13, th 1:46:26, th 1:28:35, th 1:22:09 Chicago: th 1:48:31, th 1:36:04, th 1:38:56, th 1:32:19, th 1:30:54, th 1:33:01, th 1:39:01 New York: th 1:39:27, th 1:36:45, th 1:43:40 Paralympics: th 1:36:26, th 1:30:13 Worlds: th 1:40:53 Jordi Madera (Spain) Born: 19 January 1980 Granollers Marathon best: 1:22:10 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:34:41, th 1:36:56, th 1:36:34, th 1:35:05, th 1:33:22, th 1:31:12 Boston: th 1:22:10 Berlin: th 1:46:46 Boston: th 1:33:08, th 1:30:54, th 1:24:42, th 1:41:40, th 1:22:10 Chicago: th 1:33:40, th 1:30:53, rd 1:30:25 New York: th 1:46:44, th 1:34:08, th 1:35:38 Paralympics: th 1:23:26, th 1:30:12 Worlds: th, th 1:36:40, th 1:33:22 Pike followed Joshua George under the Grandma s Marathon course record in Duluth in 2012 to qualify for London 2012, where he was 16th. He made his London Marathon debut in 2013 and finished 20th. He was seventh in 2016 and He also finished seventh in Boston last April when he took two minutes from his PB to rank equal sixth in the world. He has been in the top 10 five times in Boston and six times in Chicago. After just missing a spot on the 2008 Paralympic team, he qualified for London 2012 to compete in four events the 1500m, 5000m, marathon and 4x400m relay. He competed at 1500m and marathon in Rio having raced at 1500m and 5000m at the 2015 Worlds in Doha. Pike suffered a spinal cord injury in December 1999 at 13 when he was accidentally shot during a deerhunting trip in Virginia. He was introduced to wheelchair racing by Ironman triathlete Carlos Moleda, a legendary wheelchair racer. He took up para-nordic skiing in 2012 and competed in biathlon and cross country skiing at the 2014 Winter Paralympics and the 2014/15 World Championships. Born in Park Rapids, Minnesota, he has a sociology degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign where he now lives. He was recruited to play wheelchair basketball for the university and has competed internationally in that sport. Madera achieved his highest finish in six London Marathon appearances in 2014, finishing sixth in 1:35:05 after being outside the top 10 in the previous two years. He was 14th last year in his quickest London time so far six days after smashing his personal best to place ninth in Boston in 1:22:10. He went on to place third in Chicago in 1:30:25, a first ever podium place at a World Marathon Majors race. He was 15th at the 2011 World Championships, more than five and a half minutes behind the winner, having finished eighth at the Paralympics in 2008 in what was then his PB. He was eighth again in Rio in 1:30:12. He also competed over 5000m in Rio. He was 14th over 5000m at the Paralympics in Beijing, but did not compete at London 2012 or the 2013 Worlds. He was 12th at both 1500m and 5000m at the 2015 Worlds and 13th at both distances at the London 2017 Worlds last summer. His first international was the European Championships in 2005 when he also competed in the Mediterranean Games. He took part in world indoor and outdoor championships in His full name is Jorge Madera Jimenez. He is one of four children. He injured his back in a work accident when he was a child and started para-athletics in He was born in Granollers and lives in Les Franqueses del Vallès. Media Guide

26 Ryota Yoshida (Japan) Born: 28 September 1981 Marathon best: 1:23:18 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:35:35, th 1:40:34, th 1:31:11 Berlin: th 1:29:53, rd 1:32:43 Boston: th 1:23:18 Chicago: th 1:30:32 New York: th 1:53:40 Tokyo: th 1:28:03, th 1:31:33 Worlds: th 1:35:35 Krige Schabort (United States) Born: 8 September 1963 Marathon best: 1:24:22 Boston 2011 London Marathon record: th 1:34:02, rd 1:32:28, th 1:38:01, th 1:31:11 Boston: nd 1:30:39, th 1:38:06, nd 1:26:56, th 1:24:22, th 1:31:47 Chicago: rd 1:36:21, th 1:35:21, th 1:31:35 New York: dnf, st 1:38:27, st 1:32:19, nd 1:33:19, th 1:33:16, th 1:47:48, nd 1:35:08, th 1:49:06, nd 1:35:58, th 1:39:37, th 1:46:39, th 1:42:25, th 1:40:16 Paralympics: rd 1:30:23, th 1:37:27, nd 1:29:28, th 1:39:53, th 1:33:05 Worlds: nd 1:28:33, th 1:29:58 Ryota Yoshida was 11th in the 2015 Marathon World Championships in London in 1:35:35. He was 12th in London last year and went on to place third in Berlin after racing to fourth there in 2016 when he had the same time, 1:29:53, as van Dyk in second and Nishida in third. He lowered his PB by more than four minutes when he was 11th in Boston last April in 1:23:18, ninth quickest T54 time in the world last year. He was eighth in Tokyo this February. He was ranked seventh in the world in 2015 for T54s with what was then a PB of 1:27:38 from the Seoul Marathon. He clocked 1:29:08 in Seoul in 2016 to rank 17th. Yoshida injured his spinal cord in a motorcycle accident aged 24, one year after starting work as a firefighter. He started wheelchair racing after being introduced to the sport during his rehabilitation. He is married with one daughter and one son. The former world and Paralympic marathon silver medallist finished 10th on his return to London last year with his quickest time yet. He was third in 2012 and fourth in He won the New York title in 2002 and 2003 and has finished second in Boston and third in Chicago in more recent years. He shaved seconds from his PB when he was fourth in Boston in He also won the Honolulu, Los Angeles and Walt Disney marathons that year, and took gold in the Ironman World Championship with a course record. He was inducted into the Honolulu Hall of Fame in 2004 for winning seven Honolulu Marathons in a row. His international career goes back to the 1992 Paralympics when he won bronze for South Africa in the marathon. He improved to silver eight years later and was 10th for USA at London 2012 before switching to paratriathlon for Rio where he was fifth. He was para-triathlon world champion in 2014 and second in 2015 and Schabort lost his legs in a bomb explosion in 1987 while serving with the South African military. He started racing in In 1993, he and his brother started South Africa s first racing wheelchair company. He married Caron Erica in 1995 and they moved to USA in 1997, initially to train for the Sydney 2000 Games. 90 Media Guide 2018

27 Simon Lawson (Great Britain & NI) Born: 7 June 1982 Marathon best: 1:25:06 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:43:19, th 1:40:54, th 1:39:42, th 1:34:21, th 1:37:02, th 1:36:57 Berlin: th 1:33:48, th 1:29:57, th1:32:55 Boston: th 1:25:06 Chicago: th 1:30:58, th 1:33:12, th 1:30:36 New York: th 1:34:21, th 1:40:12, th 1:43:48 Paralympics: th 1:32:15 Worlds: th 1:34:21 Tomoki Suzuki (Japan) Born: 14 June 1994 Marathon best: 1:26:03 Oita 2016 London Marathon record: th 1:31:12 Chicago: th 1:30:31 New York: th 1:40:38 Tokyo: th 1:26:11, rd 1:28:02, nd 1:26:24 : None Tomoki Suzuki was second at the Tokyo Marathon this February when losing a sprint finish to Hiroyuki Yamamoto after the pair had broken clear of the pack early in the race. Simon Lawson lowered his personal best to 1:25:06 at the Boston Marathon last April to become the fastest Briton over 26.2 miles (now quicker than Weir) and rank No.2 in the world for T53 racers. He went on to place eighth in Berlin and 11th in Chicago and New York. He had chalked up four top 10 finishes in WMM races in 2016 and placed 14th in the Rio Paralympic marathon where he was Britain s top finisher. He was 10th in that year s London Marathon for the second year in a row and a week later broke 1:30 for the first time when he clocked 1:29:39 in Seoul. He has improved his PB every year for the last five years. He first raced the London Marathon in 2011, when he was 12th, and he finished 18th in He was 19th in 2014 in 1:39:42 before finishing 11th in New York. He won the Great Manchester Run over 10km in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and broke the Silverstone Half Marathon record in 2011, a time eclipsed by Weir in He ranked 10th in the world in 2016 after clocking 1:26:03 in Oita that October. He ranked 15th last year with 1:28:02 when he was third in Tokyo, just one second behind Hug. After finishing 16th in London last year, he went on to clinch top 10 places in Chicago and New York. He won a gold medal for Japan in the 4x400m relay at the London 2017 World Championships last July when he was also a finalist in the T54 800m and 1500m. He made the semi-finals of the T54 800m at the 2015 Worlds in Doha and was 22nd in the 5000m. He injured his spine in a traffic accident when he was eight months old, resulting in paraplegia. He took up para-athletics in primary school in Chiba where he still lives. He was introduced to the sport by wheelchair marathon racer Nobukazu Hanaoka. He studied information management at Josai International University and is now an office worker. His appearance at the 2015 Marathon World Championships was his first British international and he crowned it with a top 10 finish. He missed the London 2012 Paralympic Games qualifying time by just 60 seconds. Lawson injured his spine racing motocross in 2001 on his home track in Maryport, Cumbria. A former British junior speedway champion, he is the son of former professional Steve Lawson. His brother Richard rides motocross for the Peterboro Panthers. He works as a motorcycle mechanic and is coached by Ian Thompson and Paula Dunn. Media Guide

28 Sho Watanabe (Japan) Born: 23 November 1991 Marathon best: 1:26:22 Seoul 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:54:30 Chicago: 4th 1:30:26 New York: rd 1:39:51 Tokyo: th 1:35:29, st 1:28: th 1:31:31 Worlds: th 1:37:00 Daniel Romanchuk (United States) Born: 8 March 1998 Baltimore Marathon best: 1:26:26 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:39:43 Boston: th 1:26:26 Chicago: th 1:45:31, th 1:30:33 New York: th 1:48:07 : None Sho Watanabe sprung a shock on Marcel Hug at the 2017 Tokyo Marathon last February when he defeated the Paralympic champion in a sprint finish. It was Hug s first defeat in seven races in the inaugural World Marathon Majors series and ended his hopes of a clean sweep of victories in all eight events. Watanabe s time on Tokyo s new faster course of 1:28:01 was a huge improvement on 2016 when he was ninth in 1:35:29. He was fifth this year in 1:31:31 behind Van Dyk and Fearnley after losing touch with Hiroyuki Yamamoto and Tomoki Suzuki. He lowered his personal best to 1:26:22 at the Seoul Marathon last April shortly after struggling to 39th place on his London debut. He ranked 13th in the world last year. Watanabe finished eighth in the 2013 World Championships marathon in Lyon, but didn t contest the marathon at the Worlds in He won a gold medal with Japan s 4x400m relay team at the London 2017 World Championships last July. He was also fifth over 1500m. He didn t qualify for Japan s Rio Paralympic team. Romanchuk lowered his personal best by nine minutes at the superfast Boston Marathon last April when the 19-year-old was 16th in 1:26:26. He placed 26th on his London Marathon debut six days later and went on to grab his first top 10 finish in Chicago last October when he was ninth in 1:30:33. He ranked 14th in the world last year. He competed in the heats of five track events at the Rio 2016 Paralympics the T54 100m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m and was seventh in the 800m final at the London 2017 Worlds. He raced in the 800m and 1500m at the 2015 World Championships in Doha and won gold in the T m at the 2015 ParaPan American Games in Toronto. He was born in Baltimore with spina bifida and now lives in Urbana and is a member of the University of Illinois Wheelchair Racing Team. He is coached by Adam Bleakney. He has competed in para-swimming and para-triathlon at national level, and has played wheelchair basketball and ice sledge hockey for the Bennett Blazers in Baltimore. He raced on the track at the 2014 Asian Para Games, finishing seventh at 400m and eighth at 5000m. Watanabe was injured in a car acccident in 2011 aged 19, and took up the sport while he was still in hospital. Within two years he was part of Japan s World Championship team, contesting the 10,000m and marathon. He lives in Fukuoka and his hero is David Weir. 92 Media Guide 2018

29 Brian Siemann (United States) Born: 7 October 1989 Brooklyn, New York Marathon best: 1:26:46 Boston 2017 London Marathon record: nd 1:53:42, th 1:39:44 Boston: th 1:56:24, th 1:42:46, th 1:26:46 Chicago: th 1:45:18, th 1:38:43, th 1:39:02 New York: th 1:52:39, st 2:02:13, rd 1:44:29, th 1:36:59, th 1:51:06, th 1:44:18 Paralympics: th 1:54:51 Pierre Fairbank (France) Born: 27 July 1971 Nouméa, New Caledonia Marathon best: 1:28:50 Seoul 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:57:48, th 1:35:05, th 1:31:33, th 1:35:57, th 1:33:41 Berlin: rd 1:28:59 Boston: th 1:39:33 New York: th 1:42:29, th 1:30:59, th 1:44:27, th 1:39:58 Paralympics: dns, dnf, th 1:30:12 Worlds: th 1:40:59, dns, th 1:31:11, dnf, th 1:31:33 Brian Siemann ranked third in the world last year among T53 racers after lowering his personal best by eight minutes in Boston to 1:26:46. He was 27th on his second appearance in London the following weekend and went on to place 19th in Chicago and 12th in New York. He has completed 10 Chicago Marathons, nine in Boston and six in New York. He made the final of three events at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, finishing fourth in the 800m, fifth at 400m and seventh at 100m. At London 2012, he was sixth at 400m and eighth at 800m. He was knocked out in the heats of the 200m and came 25th in the marathon. He has also competed on the track for USA at the 2011, 2013 and 2015 World Championships, finishing fourth at 400m and 800m in Doha. He competed in five finals at the London 2017 Worlds, finishing fifth in the 800m. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was paralysed from the waist down due to complications during birth. He is a quadruplet with sisters Amanda, Maria and Jessica. He took up athletics at school thanks to high school coach Joe McLaughlin, and now lives in Champaign, Illinois, where he is a teaching assistant. He is coached by Adam Bleakney at the University of Illinois. He took part in the Push Across Cayman event in February 2015 in the Cayman Islands. He travelled 55 miles around the island in his racing chair to raise awareness of people with an impairment. He was joined by fellow US para-athletes Ryan Chalmers, Susannah Scaroni, Aaron Pike and Tatyana McFadden. Fairbank was fourth in London three years ago when he missed a world medal by less than a second. He was fifth in 2014, but crashed into a small traffic island on his previous appearance in 2002 when he d started as the favourite and fastest in the field. He was 18th last year. He improved his 15-year-old marathon best by nine seconds in Seoul a week later when he clocked 1:28:50, good enough to rank fourth in the world last year for T53s. He was also sixth in New York last November. He won gold in the T53 200m at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics plus silver in the 400m and bronze at 800m. He contested the same events in Athens but didn t win a medal although he helped France to a silver in the 4x400m and bronze in the 4x100m. In Beijing 2008 he again missed out on individual medals but won a team bronze in the 4x400m. He won no medals in London, but bagged an 800m silver and 400m bronze at Rio He also has two bronze medals from the 2013 World Championships, three from Doha 2015, and at London 2017 won silver at 800m, plus bronze at 200m and 400m. He broke the T53 400m world record in 2004 and 800m record in Born and brought up in New Caledonia, Fairbank took up athletics aged 15 after suffering inflammation of the spinal cord as a result of myelitis. He made his international debut in 1998 and was named New Caledonia s Sportsman of the Year in He was an ambassador of the 2011 Pacific Games in New Caledonia. He is a teacher, coach and councillor, and has one daughter, born in Media Guide

30 Patrick Monahan (Ireland) Born: 14 January 1986 Marathon best: 1:29:11 Seoul 2017 London Marathon record: rd 1:46:47, th 1:38:38, th 1:33:41 Berlin: th 1:39:52, th 1:46:24 Chicago: th 1:38:57, th 1:37:22 Paralympics: th 1:40:26 Worlds: rd 1:46:47 Hong Suk-Man (South Korea) Born: 7 December 1975 Marathon best: 1:29:13 Seoul 2015 London Marathon record: th 1:38:37, rd 1:36:24 : None Paralympics: th 1:39:41, dns Worlds: dnf Patrick Monahan has steadily improved over the last three years, slicing time from his personal best in almost every race he has entered. His pre-2015 best was set in October 2014 when he broke the Dublin Marathon course record in 1:52:43. Then he was 24th at the 2015 London Marathon in 1:46:47. He lowered that PB again at that September s Berlin Marathon, where he was seventh in 1:39:52, and yet again in Chicago a few weeks later when he was 15th in 1:38:57. He took a few more seconds off in London two years ago when he clocked 1:38:38 in 15th place, and just a week later was almost nine minutes faster when he recorded 1:29:45 in Seoul. He returned to Seoul last April and took another few seconds off to rank fifth in the world for T53s with 1:29:11. He was 16th in the Rio Paralympic marathon and raced for Ireland over 800m and 1500m at the London 2017 World Championships. He first used a racing chair in August 2013, six years after being paralysed when his car overturned on a patch of ice. After just two months in the chair he placed third in the 2013 Dublin Marathon, despite doing an extra two miles because he was misdirected on the course. In May 2014 he won the Belfast Marathon in 2:06:21. Hong Suk-Man lowered his personal best to 1:29:13 at his hometown marathon in Seoul three years ago having set Korean records there in previous years. He won the title in 2014 in 1:33:59. He was close to his best in Seoul last April in 2016 when he clocked 1:29:34 to rank 19th in the world. He ranked 29th last year with 1:35:13. He was 14th on his London Marathon debut two years ago and 23rd last year. He did not start the Paralympic marathon in Rio after competing in four events on the track. His best result was fourth in the 4x400m relay. He won three medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, taking gold at T53 100m and 200m and silver at 400m. He clinched 400m gold in 2008 but was out of the medals at London 2012 where he finished 19th in the marathon. He has three medals from World Championships: a 200m bronze in 2006, a relay silver in 2011 and a relay bronze in He also won two bronze medals at the 2014 Asian Para Games. He was diagnosed with polio at three and took up athletics in 1995 aged 20. His wife, Esuko, is from Japan. They met when she was volunteering at the 1998 International Wheelchair Marathon in Oita, Japan. They have a son, Jimin. He was South Korea s torch bearer at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. He comes from Naas in county Kildare and trains at Mondello Park International Racing Circuit to avoid potential accidents on public roads. His father, Mick Monahan, refereed the 2005 All Ireland Gaelic football final between Tyrone and Kerry. 94 Media Guide 2018

31 Alex DuPont (Canada) Born: 3 September 1985 Marathon best: 1:31:27 Chicago 2017 London Marathon record: dnf Chicago: th 1:33:40, th 1:31:27 : None Jose Jiménez (Costa Rica) Born: 2 July 1982 Marathon best: 1:31:36 Duluth 2015 London Marathon record: th 1:38:38, th 1:44:24 Chicago: th 1:43, th 1:44, th 1:42:17, th 1:38:47, th 1:39:01 New York: st 2:06:40, rd 2:02:32 Paralympics: th 1:35:58 Alexandre DuPont made his London Marathon debut last year but dropped out before half way. He placed 10th in Chicago the previous October in 1:33:40 to rank 27th in the world for He went a couple of seconds quicker in Chicago last October to rank 24th for 2017, second quickest Canadian after Josh Cassidy. He has represented his country on the track at two Paralympic Games and four World Championships, winning three relay medals a 4x400m relay gold at the 2013 Worlds, bronze at the 2011 Worlds and bronze in Rio following a re-run final after the Canadian team had been assigned to the wrong lane. He also competed in the heats of the 400m, 800m and 1500m in Rio. He won a 1500m bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. DuPont s right leg was amputated after he was involved in a motorcycle accident at 17. He took up wheelchair racing a year later after watching it on television. His wife, Ilana, won a silver and bronze medal in paraathletics at the 2015 ParaPan American Games in Toronto. They have a daughter, Amelia, and live in Saint- Georges-de-Clarenceville in Quebec. He owns Revolution Sport Equipment, a company that manufactures specialist equipment for wheelchair racers, including many of his own competitors. Before his accident he was an electrician. Jiménez was 16th on his London Marathon debut in 2016 but could only finish 30th last year. He was 15th at the Rio Paralympics. He went on to place 14th in Chicago and 23rd in New York. He was 18th in Chicago last October. He ranked 28th in the world last year with 1:34:15 from the Grandma s Marathon in Duluth where he set his personal best of 1:31:36 in He competed over 100m and 400m at the 2011 World Championships. He is Costa Rica s national champion at 100m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and marathon. His full name is Jose Jiménez Hernandez. He injured his spinal cord in an accident and started competing in He lives in Orotina. He has focused on the marathon since Media Guide

32 JohnBoy Smith (Great Britain & NI) Born: 27 November 1989 Sale, Manchester Marathon best: 1:32:45 Berlin 2017 London Marathon record: th 1:46:17, th 1:38:40, th 1:33:40 Berlin: th 1:32:45 New York: th 1:40:36, nd 1:39:40 Worlds: th 1:46:17 Brent Lakatos (Canada) Born: 6 January 1980 Dorval Marathon best: 1:32:55 Berlin 2017 London Marathon record: None Berlin: th 1:32:55 : None JohnBoy Smith made a breakthrough to the top ranks of wheelchair racing last year when he picked up his first ever World Marathon Majors points finishing fifth in Berlin in a personal best, then a remarkable second behind Marcel Hug in New York. It is the latest advance in a steady improvement by the Briton who ranked 26th in the world last year with his Berlin time of 1:32:45. He was 20th in London in 2015, the third Briton behind Weir and Lawson, clocking 1:46:17. He improved a year later to place 18th in 1:38:40, and last year was 17th exactly five minutes quicker, again third Briton. He clocked a then PB of 1:40:36 at the 2015 New York Marathon and then won the highly-prized Dubai Marathon in January 2016 in 1:35:56. He reduced his PB still further in Seville that February when he was second to Jordi Madera in 1:35:25, and the improvement continued at the end of April when he clocked 1:35:04 in Seoul, just a week after the 2016 London Marathon. That ranked him 29th in the world that year for T54 racers. He was born into the Romany Gypsy community in Sale, Manchester, and now lives in Gravesend. Formerly a boxer, he was paralysed in 2006 at 16 when a local gamekeeper mistook Smith and his friends for poachers and shot Smith in the back. He took up powerlifting and broke two British records. Then he saw the London 2012 Games on TV and started doing shot put, javelin and discus. His javelin event was withdrawn from the Rio 2016 Games so he switched to wheelchair racing in April 2015 and within weeks was third Briton in the London Marathon. He started training with David Weir and is now coached by Weir and Jenny Archer. Brent Lakatos was seventh on his marathon debut in Berlin last September after a hugely successful career on the track during which he has won one Paralympic and 11 world titles. He was one of the most successful athletes at the London 2017 World Championships last summer when he claimed four gold medals from 100m to 800m and was fifth in the 1500m. He won three golds and a silver at the Doha 2015 Worlds, plus four golds and a silver in In all, he has 16 world medals to his name. He won the Paralympic 100m title in 2016 and has eight Paralympic track medals in all from London 2012 and Rio. His time in Berlin meant he ranked seventh in the world for T53 athletes in Born in Dorval, he injured his spine in a skating accident aged six and began para-athletics at 15 when introduced to the sport by Canadian Paralympic champion Andre Vige. He also played wheelchair basketball for the University of Texas and helped the team win the 2002 national title. He now trains in Loughborough where he llives with his wife, Stefanie Reid, a British athlete who won Paralympic long jump silvers at the 2012 and 2016 Games and World gold in London last July. At the London 2012 Games the pair made a friendly bet that whoever won a gold medal would not have to wash the dishes. They each won silver medals. 96 Media Guide 2018

33 Zhang Yong (China) Born: 25 May 1992 Shangluo Marathon best: 1:33:20 London Marathon record: None New York: th 1:50:51 : None Alhassane Balde (Germany) Born: 21 December 1985 Conakry, Guinea Marathon best: 1:35:33 Schenkon 2014 London Marathon record: th 1:38:31 Berlin: th 1:37:56 Worlds: th 1:38:31 Zhang was one of four athletes from China who took part in last year s New York Marathon for the first time. He placed 15th in the men s race in 1:50:51. He was born in Shangluo with an impairment to his feet and took up the sport in 2010 in Shaanxi when he was 18. Alhassane Balde is Germany s top-ranked wheelchair racer after clocking 1:35:33 in Schenkon in He ranked 31st in the world last year after placing ninth in Berlin with 1:37:56. He was 12th at the London Marathon three years ago, clocking 1:38:31. He was due to race last year but did not start. He won bronze medals in the 1500m and 5000m at the 2017 World Championships. He has competed for Germany at three Paralympic Games, three World Championships and two European Championships. He also won European silvers at 1500m and 5000m in 2014 and 5000m bronze in His highest finish at the Paralympics was sixth over 1500m in Rio. He also competed in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 but missed out on London He handcycled in the 2014 Boston Marathon. He has been paraplegic since birth due to a medical error. Born in Guinea, he travelled to Düsseldorf, Germany, when he was nine months old for medical treatment and later adopted at four years old by his uncle and aunt who lived there. German doctors believed his chances of surviving in Guinea were less than those in Germany. He took up the sport after receiving a racing wheelchair as a sixth birthday gift from a company at the Care and Rehabilitation Exhibition in Düsseldorf. He now lives in Bonn where he works as a consultant. Media Guide

34 Dai Yungqiang (China) Born: 20 July 1990 Qingdao Marathon best: 1:36:45 London Marathon record: None New York: dnf : None Wheelchair Awards & Bonuses Awards for place Men Women 1st $25,000 $25,000 2nd $14,000 $14,000 3rd $10,500 $10,500 4th $7,500 $7,500 5th $4,500 $4,500 6th $3,500 $3,500 7th $2,250 $2,250 8th $1,800 $1,800 9th $1,400 $1,400 10th $900 $900 $71,350 $71,350 Total: $142,700 Dai was one of four athletes from China who took part in last year s New York Marathon for the first time. He dropped out at 40km when he got a flat tyre. He was born in Qingdao with an impairment to his lower limbs. He began training full-time in 2009 aged 19 after his father took him to a sports school. Course record: $5,000 $5,000 Britons outside top 10 1st $200 $200 2nd $100 $100 3rd $50 $50 98 Media Guide 2018