Unheralded runners Tsegaye Tadesse and Tigist Abdi were the winners of the men’s and women’s races at the 23rd Abebe Bikila International Marathon in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Sunday 10 June.
Nearly 500 runners from Ethiopia’s clubs and regions took part in the race with nearly half of the runners competing individually in a race that started and finished at the Addis Ababa stadium on a warm morning.
Tadesse, who competed in the race individually after buying his own race number, took the lead in the last 5km and held off the challenge from Gizew Bekele to take victory in a personal best time of 2:15.53, five seconds ahead of Bekele with Oromiya Police sports club runner Deresa Chemodessa completing the top three.
The women’s race followed a much similar approach with Tigist Abdi hitting the front at the 35km and holding off Zenash Alemu comfortably to take victory in 2:43.48.
Elshadai Negash for the IAAF
Results
Men
1. Tsegaye Tadesse (Unattached) 2:15.53
2. Gizew Bekele (Unattached) 2:15.58
3. Deresa Chemodessa (Oromiya Police) 2:16.19
4. Gemechu Kebede (Omedla) 2:16.27
5. Abate Astatke (Negash) 2:16.41
Women
1. Tigist Abdi (Defence) 2:43.48
2. Zenash Alemu (Prisons Police) 2:44.07
3. Alem Ashebir (Defence) 2:44.16
4. Weyneshet Girma (Defence) 2:45.03
5. Weyneshet Nega (Prisons Police) 2:46.01
