Deksisa, Gobena make it grand double for Ethiopia
Solomon Deksisa and Amane Gobena made it a double delight for Ethiopia in the $405,000 Tata Mumbai Marathon here today by clinching the respective men’s and women’s races.
Twenty-two-year-old Deksisa broke away from the rest of the field at the 35-km mark and kept his nose ahead for the reminder of the 42.195-km men’s event to lead a 1-2 finish for Ethiopia ahead of 29-year-old compatriot Shumet Akalnaw.
Deksisa clocked 2 hours, 9 minutes, 34 secs, off the course record of 2:08:35, while his compatriot Shumet crossed the finish line in 2:10:00 after being in hot pursuit of the lead runner over the last seven kms without being able to catch up.
Kenyan Joshua Kipkorir, second last year, ended up third this year in 2:10:30.
Gobena made the women’s race her own to win by a comfortable margin and won in 2:25:49 ahead of defending champion Bornes Kitur of
MUMBAI:
Kenya who clocked 2:28:48 with male pacer Bernard Soi of South Africa helping her maintain her speed.
In third place was another Ethiopian, Shumo Genemo (2:29:41). The overall winners of both full marathons earned $42,000 each.
Deksisa, running his sixth marathon with a personal best of 2:06:22 that he had clocked while finishing second in the Rooterdam Marathon in April 2016, breasted the tape 70 metres ahead of second-placed compatriot Shumet, accelerating after the turn into the Marine Drive straight at Chowpatty.
“I expected to win. This is my first win in Mumbai and will motivate me to participate in other races,” said Deksisa.
“Shumet was behind me and was close and I was worried. So I did not realise about the turns in the last 700m (following a small change in course due to metro construction work). When the pacemakers dropped out the plan was to come ahead (of the rest),” he added.