Ethiopian runners win men’s and women’s races at Paris Marathon

AFP , Sunday 7 Apr 2024

Mulugeta Uma and Mestawut Fikir won the Paris Marathon men's and women's races on Sunday to give Ethiopia a double in the event for the first time in five years.

Men s marathon winners, Second-placed Titus Ekiru of Kenya (L), winner Uma Mulugeta of Ethiopia (C-L) and third-placed Elisha Rotich of Kenya (R), pose with women s marathon winners, Second-placed Enat Tirusew of Ethiopia (2nd-L), winner Mestawut Fikir of Ethiopia (C-R) and third-placed Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya (2nd-R) on the podium at the end of the 2024 Paris Marathon, in Paris on April 7, 2024. شبح

On a course that was different from the Olympic event in August, Uma won with a time of 2:05:33, beating Kenyans Titus Kipruto and Elisha Rotich.

Kipruto finished 15 seconds behind Uma while Rotich was more than a minute behind. Rotich was the pre-race favourite going into the event having set the course record in 2021.

In the women's race, Fikir finished with a time of 2:20:45 in her first marathon, pipping compatriot Enat Tirusew to the line by three seconds, while Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot was third.

The last time Ethiopia achieved the double in Paris, Abrha Milaw and Gelete Burka won the men's and women's races in 2019.

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