Ethiopia’s Workenesh Edesa made significant improvements on the course records at the TCS Sydney Marathon, winning the World Athletics Platinum Label road race in 2:21:40.It was a heroic victory leading Ethiopia sweeping the podium.
Worknesh took almost three minutes off the previous course record in a race where the top four women finished inside Stella Barsosio’s former mark of 2:24:33, set five years ago.
A group of seven women ran together through the first 10km in 33:44, putting them on course record pace from the outset. Just four women – Worknesh, Valary Jemeli Aiyabei, Ruti Aga and 2022 world champion Gotytom Gebreslase – remained in the lead pack as the half-way point was reached in 1:11:11.
The quartet ran together for another six or seven kilometres before Worknesh and Ruti made a break. The Ethiopian duo reached 30km in 1:41:16 with a 16-second lead over Goytetom. Ruti was next to fade, leaving Worknesh as the sole leader.
The Ethiopian had a 22-second lead at 35km and was picking up the pace as the race went on. She reached the finish line in 2:21:40, 89 seconds ahead of Aga. Goytetom completed the Ethiopian sweep in third with 2:24:16.
In the men’s race Kenyan Brimin Mesoi led through the closing stages and reached the finish line in 2:06:17, taking 46 seconds off the course record set two years ago by compatriot Moses Kibet. Ethiopian Chalu Deso was a distant second in 2:08:01, just ahead of Kenyan Kirwa (2:08:17).
