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Julien Wanders - the white Kenyan for the first time in Lucerne

Julien Wanders - the white Kenyan for the first time in Lucerne

Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern on Tuesday, July 9 offers the world and European record holder on the road, 23 year old Julien Wanders (CA Genève) the opportunity to undergo a speed test over 3000m in a top international field.

32 years after Werner Günthör, the shot-putter, Julien Wanders was the first Swiss to break the European record. In the half marathon, he replaced none other than the running dominator of recent years, six-time world champion and four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah (GBR). In Lucerne, Julien Wanders, who since this year also holds the world record over 5 kilometers on the road, wants to show his speed on the track in a 3000m race tailored to him. Opponents from his home in Kenya, Ethiopia, Morocco, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Germany are expected to push him to an ultra fast time. The 3000m race is one of the highlights on July 9, and not only from a Swiss perspective, starting shortly after 9 p.m.

Wanders decided to emigrate to Kenya after graduating from high school in 2014. In Iten, the running metropolis in the Kenyan highlands (2400m above sea level) he lives since then. His coach Marco Jäger sends him the training plans and discusses them with him regularly. By Central European standards, Wandern leads an extremely modest life in Kenya and subordinates everything to athletic success. His credo: "If you want to run as fast as the Kenyans, you not only have to train like them, but also live like them." In addition to the world's best javelin throwers who have already registered, further commitments are emerging in various disciplines from current medal winners of the Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships.

28. June 2019 / Stephan Zopfi

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