Ethiopian runners have showcased exceptional performance at the 42nd Macau International Marathon.
Debela Kebebe led the male section of the 42.2 km race, with a time of 2:14:05. The final meters of the run were highly competitive, with two Kenyan athletes, Kiptoo Kibet and Paul Matekha, as major challengers.
Kebebe crossed the finish line seven seconds ahead of Kibet, with Matekha arriving 17 seconds later.
The fourth and fifth positions were claimed by Chepkok Kibiwott and Kidrop Tonui from Kenya, clocking in at 2:14:30 and 2:14:34 respectively, resulting in the top 5 finishers completing the race within a 30-second window.
Securing third place overall, Matekha was also the first of the non-invited athletes to cross the finish line, not having been hired by the organizers.
The best result from the local male runners in the full marathon was achieved by Wang Kun with a time of 2:24:45, placing 14th overall. This performance surpassed several invited athletes who failed to match their expected performance. Notably, Wang Zhipeng from China crossed the finish line in 46th position, with a time of 2:58:26 and behind 15 local athletes.
In the fiercely contested female category, Ethiopian athlete Zinashwork Ambi secured first place with a time of 2:33:38, just one second ahead of Kenya’s Rodah Tanui. In third place was Tecla Kirongo, also from Kenya, finishing 18 seconds after the winner.
Completing the top 5 in the female category were Li Zhixuan (China) and Zinash Lema (Ethiopia).
The best local runner among the women competitors was Chio Tong Tong in 15th position, with a time of 3:11:38.
Kenyan dominance
in half-marathon
Kenyan athletes dominated this year’s international half marathon, with a very large delegation of runners. Mathew Samperu and James Kahura came first and second respectively. Samperu crossed the finish line with a time of 1:04:00, 44 seconds faster than his compatriot Kahura, who had to fight through the last few meters to maintain position against Cape Verde’s Samuel Freire, who placed third some 15 seconds behind Kahura.
In the female category for the half marathon, Ziporah Kingori (1:15:05) and Lucy Ndambuki (1:16:21), also from Kenya, came first and second respectively. Mirroring the male category results, third place in the women’s category was also claimed by an athlete from a Portuguese-speaking country, Angolan Ernestina Paulino.
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