Kenya's Mosop pulls out of Dubai marathon

 　　NAIROBI, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Rotterdam marathon bronze medalist Moses Mosop will not attend this year's Dubai marathon because of family commitments.

　　Mosop, the former Chicago marathon winner, has fully¹ recovered from his muscle injury, but was forced to stay home to deal with urgent family matters. This means that Kenya will have one man less as its elite² runners seek the title that was won by Ethiopian Ayele Abshero last year.

　　"I was focused on running in Dubai, but I have some issues that can't allow me to travel out. I have to deal with them and that means forfeiting³ my place in the starting line up for the Dubai marathon on Friday," Mosop said to Xinhua by telephone Thursday from Eldoret.

　　Kenya last won the 250,000 U.S. dollar winning prize marathon (for both men and women champions) in 2011 through David Barmasai Tumo, who returns to Dubai eyeing to recover his lost medal. Lucy Kabuu was second last year in the women race, also a debut⁴ for her.

　　Yemane Tsegay will lead Ethiopian challenge while focus will be on Moses Masai, who is making his inaugural⁵ attempt over the 42km distance.

　　Organizers of the Dubai marathon have announced the elite list with total prize purse of one million dollars at stake, equal rights, men and women, there is an impressive list of pretenders for the title.

　　Last winner Ethiopian Ayele Abshero is currently injured (as is women's winner, Aselefech Mergia), and so cannot defend; but leading the men's pack is veteran Martin Lel, the former New York and London marathon champion. Other Kenyans lining⁶ up are Bernard Koech and Mike Kigen.

　　With 13 men under 2.08, and another five under 2.10, Dubai has in a very short time become one of the highest quality fields in the world of marathon.

　　Silver medalists Lucy Wangui Kabuu has also confirmed she will be running in Dubai as she seeks to improve her pecking to the gold status. This has been aided by the announcement by the organizers that defending champion for women Aselefech Mergia will not be back as she has an injury.

　　Kabuu, who will be eying a second chance, said in Embu, where she was beaten to second place in the senior women 8km cross country, that her aim was to do well and earn the selectors favour to represent the country at the World Athletics⁷ Championships in Russia.

　　"I want to run in Dubai, then I will see how the year goes on. London or Boston is a possibility in April, after that it is to wait and see what the year has," she said Saturday in Embu.

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

3 forfeiting   

（因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In his eyes, giving up his job and forfeiting his wages amounted practically to suicide. 辞事，让工钱，在祥子看就差不多等于自杀。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• That would be acknowledging the Railroad's ownership right away-forfeiting their rights for good. 这一来不是就等于干脆承认铁路公司的所有权-永久放弃他们自己的主权吗？

4 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

5 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

6 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

7 athletics   

n.运动，体育，田径运动

参考例句：

• When I was at school I was always hopeless at athletics.我上学的时候体育十分糟糕。
• Our team tied with theirs in athletics.在田径比赛中，我们队与他们队旗鼓相当。