Ethiopians Abate, Yeshi win Mumbai Marathon titles
Ethiopians’ domination in the Mumbai Marathon continued as Tadu Abate Deme and Yeshi Kalayu Chekole won the men’s and women’s elite race titles respectively on Sunday. Abate clocked 2-hour 9-minute 55 seconds to emerge champion among the men’s elite runners, while his Ethiopian compatriot Yeshi crossed the finish line in a time of 2:25:13 — the fifth fastest time of the event. It was the seventh time the Ethiopians took both men’s and women’s titles together in Mumbai out of the 21 editions.
Leonard Kiprotich Langat (02:10:10) of Kenya and Merhawi Kesete Weldemaryam (02:10:22) of Eritrea were second and third respectively in the men’s elite race. Ethiopians completed a clean sweep in the women’s elite race as Kidsan Alema Gebremedhin (02:27:35) and Gojjam Tsegaye Enyew (02:28:27) finished second and third respectively. The top three finishers in both the men’s and women’s elite races each took home a prize money of USD 50,000, USD 25,000 and USD 15,000 respectively.
Karkera, Sanjivani Indian champs: Meanwhile, Kartik Karkera (2:19:55) won the men’s race among the Indians, while defending champion Anish Thapa (02:20:08) and Pradeep Chaudhary (02:20:49) finished second and third respectively. Sanjivani Jadhav (2:49:02) emerged champion among Indian elite women, while Nirmaben Thakor (02:49:13) and Sonam (02:49:24) ended second and third respectively. The top three finishers in the Indian elite men’s and women’s categories received prize money of Rs 5 lakh, Rs 4 lakh and Rs 3 lakh respectively. A World Athletics Road Race Gold Label race, the Mumbai maratho had a new route this year.
For the first time, runners experienced the newly opened Mumbai Coastal Road, alongside the iconic Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Dino Morea were among several celebrities who turned up for the marathon. Maiden title for Yeshi: It was the first career win in a major marathon for Yeshi, although she had been running this distance since 2019. The 28-year-old neatly executed her race plans, staying relaxed and finishing strong.
About a dozen Ethiopian women started the race together. Important among them were last year’s third-place finisher Medina Deme Armino and Shure Demise, the fastest entrant, with a PB of 2:20:59, clocked some eleven years ago in Dubai. In the absence of the top two from last year — Joyce Chepkemoi and Shitaye Eshete — Armino used her knowledge of the route to have a commanding lead in the first half of the race. However, she started lagging behind the leader, Kidsan Alema, thereafter.
Yeshi remained with Kidsan and two other compatriots Gojjam Tesgaye and Birke Debele, when the runners covered three-fourths of the distance. She broke away from the rest a couple of kilometres away and was running solo in the remaining part of the race before sealing the title. “I came here expecting to break course record, but I was a little shaky in the weather. I felt strong and positive throughout, especially on both the uphill and downhill sections,” Yeshi said after the race.
In the men’s elite race, eventual winner Abate was locked in a keen battle with last year’s runner-up Merhawi Kesete (Eritrea) and Kenyan Langat. Uganda’s 2023 World Marathon champion Victor Kiplangat and Ethiopian Gada Gemsisa were hanging around them until the half-way stage. Both Abate and Langat exchanged the lead until the 40 km mark, while Kesete was about 50m behind them.
Abate increased his pace in the last kilometre, while Langat struggled to catch up. “The hills were tough, but once I settled into the rhythm after the halfway point, I focused on conserving energy and choosing the right moments. My body felt in good condition, and I am glad to be here in Mumbai and to win the race,” an elated Abate said.
Among the Indians, Sanjivani excelled in a marathon on her debut at the distance and was 10th overall. “After 35 km, I knew I was going to win gold,” she said. For Karkera, who trains in Russia, it was only a second marathon of his career. No one paid much attention to him at the beginning as he entered the fray with a nondescript 2:30:30 for a 15th place in the Moscow Marathon last year.
A regular metric miler, Karkera surprised several experienced Indian road runners like Anish Thapa and Srinu Bugatha in Sunday’s race as he finished with a new PB of 2:19:55 to snatch the Top Indian Male runner’s prize. “This was my first marathon in Mumbai, and it feels great. I had to push through the challenging course, but I enjoyed being here in Mumbai and participating in this special race. My next goal is to qualify for the Asian Games,” said the Indian winner.
