International men's winner Mekonnen competes with two others 200m ahead of the finish line. I am thrilled with my first win in my 6th international competition. “Hell training ‘42.195+3km’ once a week… “I am confident that I have enough strength even after 38km.”

The uniform number of male athletes who win marathon competitions rarely exceeds 10. This is because the faster the personal best time, the earlier the number is used. It is rare to see a player wearing jersey number over 20 win a championship. So, if the player with bib number 21 fought for the lead until the last minute, it can be said that he has already run the race successfully.

Jemal Emer Mekonnen (28, Ethiopia), who participated in the 2024 Seoul Marathon and the 94th Donga Marathon with jersey number 21, was not satisfied with this level. Mekonnen started from Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on the 17th and finished in front of the east gate of Jamsil Sports Complex, covering 42.195km in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 8 seconds, becoming the men's champion in the international category of this competition. 2 hours, 6 minutes and 8 seconds is her personal best, 5 minutes and 23 seconds shorter than last year's New York Marathon (2 hours, 11 minutes and 31 seconds). 카지노사이트

On this day, Mekonnen passed the 40km mark in a tie for first place (1 hour 59 minutes 19 seconds) along with four others, including No. 12 Edwin Kiprop Kiptu (31) and No. 17 Ronjas Rokitam Kilimo (28, Kenya). Even with 500 meters left before the finish line, the five members of the leading group ran shoulder to shoulder. As Mekkonen came forward 200 meters before the finish line, Kiptu and Kilimo also increased their speed. The three athletes competed like a sprint and ran toward the finish line.

Mekonnen eventually crossed the finish line one second ahead of Kilimo and two seconds ahead of Kiptu, winning the prize money of $80,000 (approximately 106.56 million won). Mekonnen, who has been challenging the full marathon course since 2020, recorded his first full course victory at this Seoul Marathon, which was his sixth international competition stage. As Mekonnen won this year's competition, an Ethiopian runner stood at the top of the Seoul Marathon for the third consecutive year.

Mekonnen said, “During last year’s New York Marathon, I maintained a pace of 2 hours and 4 minutes until the hill course in the second half. “I was confident of recording a better record in the Seoul Marathon, where the course was flat,” he said. “During the last spurt, I gained strength by thinking of Kelvin Kiptum (1999-2024, Kenya). “I had no personal connection with him, but he was the world record holder for the marathon, so I respected him more than anyone and was a great inspiration to him,” he said. Kiptum is an athlete who lost his life at the age of 25 in a car accident in February of this year, four months after setting a world record (2 hours, 0 minutes, 35 seconds) at the Chicago Marathon in October last year.

Mekonnen, who completed his first full course challenge of the season, said, “Last winter, I built up my stamina by running 46km (more than 3km longer than the full course) once a week. “I was confident that I trained really hard, so I felt sad if I didn’t get good results,” he said. “Marathon runners can get a general idea of whether they are in the right to win or not after the 30km point when they feel their physical limits.” This time, he felt confident after passing the 38km mark as he felt he had more strength than the other athletes. “I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who helped with the training.” He continued, “I want to shorten my personal record even further, and although it is difficult right now, I want to challenge for an Olympic gold medal someday.” 토토사이트 추천