Dubai: Aged just 18 and competing in his first marathon, Ethiopian Tsegaye Mekonnen Asefa caused a stunning upset by winning the 2014 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon in 2hrs 4min 32sec on Friday.
After pocketing $200,000 (Dh734,599) for winning the race, Asefa attributed his victory to planning and guidance from his coach Gemedu Dedefo.
“I made up my mind to run in a marathon last year. I listened to my coach earnestly and trained hard. A big thank you to him,” Asefa said.
Dedefo, who was acting as a translator for Asefa, in turn thanked his student. “I must thank him for winning it and bringing glory to Ethiopia. He worked hard for it and achieved it,” said the proud coach.
Asefa also credited his victory to the large numbers of supporters from his country that encouraged him to give his best.
“I thank all the supporters and the organisers who invited me. I had made up my mind to run very fast here before coming. I feel confident that at future marathons I can achieve a better timing than what I achieved today,” he said.
Asefa finished just over a minute outside the marathon world record mark of 2:03:23 and he said he was unable to kick on near the end and set a new world best. “I had spent a lot of power in the first half and towards the finish line I had wind from the front, so I had to push hard,” he said.
The women’s race winner, Mulu Seboka, expressing her delight at coming out on top despite running with a pack of elite runners. “I was running against three top runners and at one stage we were all together. At kilometre eight I felt better than them and pulled away from them. I realised that I could make it. Frankly, it was easier than I thought.”
Seboka also won $200,000 in prize money and she added: “Some percentage of the money I will give away to the poor in Ethiopia, the rest to support my parents and I will ask my husband what to do with the remaining money.”
Thirty-year-old Seboka, who has been running international marathons for more than a decade, finished in 2:25:01 — outside her personal best of 2:23:43, which she set when finishing second in Daegu last year.
“Dubai marathon is a big title to win and big money too. I thank every spectator who cheered me,” said Seboka, who previously also won the Mumbai Marathon in 2008.