 |
| L-R: Ethiopian duo of Ulfata Gelata and Dagne Siranesh Yirga |
Geleta, who finished as the first runner-up at last year’s
edition upped his run this time to emerge as the proud winner of the $30,000
first prize money.
Though the Ethiopian’s winning time of 2.11.54 seconds fell
short of the course record set at the 2020 edition of the annual race, it is
the second-fastest ever in the history of the globally-acclaimed 42km road
race.
Unlike previous years where the Kenyans were the
pacesetters, the duo of David Barmasai and Emmanuel Naibei from the Eastern
African country could only settle for second and third places respectively.
Barmasai and Naibei went home with $20,000 and $15,000,
respectively for their efforts at this year’s race.
In the women’s category, Ethiopia’s Dagne Siranesh Yirga was
the first athlete to cross the finish line at two hours 33 minutes and 50
seconds. She was followed in second place by compatriot Alemenseh Guta and
Kenya’s Naomi Maiyo in third place.
This is the second time that an Ethpionan will win both the
male and female categories of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon.
In the Nigeria category, Shehu Muazu and Fadekemi Olukemi
were the top finishers who won the N1 million prize monies set aside for the
indigenous athletes
According to the organisers, over 30,000 participants took
part in Saturday’s race.
The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Edo State
Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu, former NBA star Olumide Oyedeji, among others,
were part of Saturday’s exciting race, which was laced with some form of
entertainment with performances from Teniola and Zlatan Ibile.
Commendation
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria President, Tonobok
Okowa, lauded the giant strides the marathon has made since its inception seven
years ago.
He said: “I want to give kudos to Access Bank and the other
sponsors for the good work they are doing to sustain the marathon. After just
two editions, the marathon was given a bronze label so we should appreciate
them for this.
On his part, the Lagos State Sports Commission Chairman Sola
Aiyepeku reiterated the support of the Lagos State Government:
“It’s a privilege for me to have been a part of the Access
Bank Marathon from the planning stage, down to implementation, and here we are
at the seventh edition.
“I want to say well done to Nilayo and thank you to our
sponsors. Your patience and incremental investment have not gone unnoticed. The
strides being made by the marathon is a total buy-in for Lagos State, and we
will do everything to ensure it continues,” he added.
The next edition of the Lagos Marathon is scheduled for
February 4, 2023.
.jpeg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment