Ethiopian double as Mestawut Fikir and Mulugeta Uma win in Paris
Sunday saw over 54,000 runners participating in the Paris Marathon, with nearly half of them running their first ever marathon.
One of those athletes making their debut was the winner of the women’s race, Mestawut Fikir.
Despite her lack of marathon experience, the ASICS athlete beat off her Ethiopian team-mate, Enat Tirusew, in a sprint finish with a time of 2:20:45, just one minute off the race record. Tirusew recorded 2:20:48.
The 24-year-old has been focusing on half marathons over the last two years and has a PB on 66:44 which she achieved in the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in Larne last year, where she took the victory.
Vivian Cheruyot from Kenya, a former world and Olympic 5000m champion, was expected to top the podium on her return after failing to finish her last race at the 2020 London Marathon.
However, the 40-year-old faced a strong Ethiopian field as she crossed the line in third place with a time of 2:21:47.
In the men’s race, Mulugeta Uma from Ethiopia took the gold in what has his fourth marathon and his debut in Paris.
The 26-year-old gained a PB by 30 seconds as he clocked 2:05:33 but had to fend off Titus Kipruto, who crossed the line in second place with 2:05:48.
The Paris Marathon record-holder, Kenya’s Elisha Rotich, had to settled for third as he finished just over a minute later than Uma, finishing with 2:06:54. The defending champion Abeje Ayana from Ethiopia had a tough race, finishing ninth.
This was the first time Ethiopia achieved the double in Paris since 2019 when Abrha Milaw and Gelete Burka won the men’s and women’s races.
Elsewhere, in the wheelchair race, Dutchman Geert Schipper took the gold in 1:34:36.
Frenchman Julien Casoli, a five-time winner of the event, settled for second place in 1:37:11.
View this post on Instagram
The streets of Paris will once again be filled with marathon runners this summer at the Olympics Games, and with many strong athletes coming through it is set to look like an exciting race.
The route, which set off from the Champs-Elysees, was very different from the course the Olympic field will follow on August 10-11 during the Paris Games.
That one will start at Paris City Hall, head out of the city to Versailles, and then return to finish near the Invalides memorial, which houses Napoleon's tomb.
» Subscribe to AW magazine here
