ADDIS ABABA- Former Olympic and world champion Kenenisa Bekele staged a thrilling comeback to win the Berlin marathon a week from last Sunday, dramatically missing out on the world record by two seconds after recording the second fastest time ever.
For the Ethiopian marathoners this was a sweeping victory taking from one up to three places in a row. Birhanu took second place in 2:02:48, becoming the third fastest marathon runner ever. Sisay was third, another 48 seconds behind.
In the women’s race Ethiopian Ashete Bekere beat Mare Dibaba in a sprint to the finish to win with a time of 2:20:14 and complete the Ethiopian sweep.
Ashete won a sprint against compatriot Mare Dibaba to clinch the women’s marathon in 2:20:14, a personal best. Mare finished seven seconds behind. Kenya’s Selly Chepyego Kaptich was third in 2:21:06, and Ethiopia’s Helen Tola finished fourth in 2:21:36. The four had shared the lead for a long time.
The Ethiopian Herald October 8/2019
