The late Alem Techale with a photo of Kenenisa Bekele (© Biniam Mengesha)
Addis Ababa, EthiopiaEthiopia’s World and Olympic 10,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele on Sunday (5 June) started a memorial 10km road race held in Assela in memory of his fiancée World Youth 1500m champion Alem Techale who tragically died in January.
The race, organised by Bekele’s and Techale’s club Muger Cement, attracted more than 300 youngsters from nearby cities in Arsi, the birthplace of many of Ethiopia’s leading runners including Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele, Derartu Tulu, and the Dibaba sisters (Tirunesh and Ejegayehou Dibaba).
Two seventeen-year-old runners Abuna Jundi and Denkuan Kaba took the men’s and women’s races respectively, but the most important honour of the day belonged to the top 15 male and female finishers who now get the chance to be included in the Muger Cement Sports Club youth development project.
Also on the same day, Bekele inaugurated a commemorative monument which he has had built for Techale in Assela.
Elshadai Negash for the IAAF
Results from the Alem Techale 10km in Assela
N.B. due to the current civil unrest in Addis Ababa the finishing times are currently not available.
Men
1. Abuna Jundi
2. Atlaw Amente
3. Dama Dawsa
Women
1. Denkuan Kaba
2. Zeyneb Kelem