Despite the conflict back home, Ethiopians have been able to pull off a mini coup in South Africa at the Soweto Marathon.
The 27th edition of the Soweto Marathon was held on Sunday in the Rainbow Nation, with Ethiopia emerging victorious in the men’s and women’s races. The victory was especially significant because over 20,000 runners participated in the People’s Race.
Daba Ifa Debele of Ethiopia led the men’s victory charge, finishing first with a recorded time of 2:18:58 over a distance of 42km. His compatriot Gadisa Bekele Gutama finished second with a time of 2:19:27. Lesotho was able to grab third place with its runner Tsepo Ramashamole coming in at 2:20:21. The record was shared on the official Twitter channel of the race. You can check it out below.
In the women’s race, the Ethiopians were just as impressive, with Chaltu Bedo Negashu finishing the 42km race first with a time of 2:40:56. The Soweto Marathon celebrated her victory on Twitter, describing her performance as “fantastic.” Her win makes it a double for Ethiopia.
It’s a victory for the women in the sense that in the ladies’ race, Ethiopians snapped the first three spots – first, second, and third. The men were only able to take the first and second spots.
