Dubai: The UAE duo of Alia Saeed Mohammad and Betlhem Desalegn took the glory with comfortable wins in the 10km and 5km races respectively at the fifth Dubai Holding Women’s Run on Friday.
Alia finished the 10km race in a time of 35 minutes 25 seconds, while Desalegn secured top spot in the 5km run in 17.10, ensuring they picked up the top prizes of Dh10,000 each.
Ethiopia’s Sentayehu Getachew came in second in the 10km race in 35.42, while Esma Aydemir of Turkey was third after finishing ten seconds later in 35.52. Sonja Stolic of Serbia (36.15) and Anne Mari Hyrylainen of Finland (37.32) completed the top five.
In the 5km race, Desalegn was followed by Biljana Cvijanovic of Serbia in 17.25, while Brtukan Adeba of Ethiopia was third in 17.45, leaving Ernestina Pallino De Conceicao of Angola (17.52) fourth and Asnakech Abeje (18.17) of Ethiopia fifth.
“I am thrilled at winning such an important race without training too much due to the off-season. Now we head back to Ethiopia to continue resting before we start our preparations for the new track and field season from December 1,” Desalegn told Gulf News.
‘Better and better’
Race Director Liesa Euton was joined by Khalfan Belhoul, Vice President of Strategy at Dubai Holding, to hand over the cash awards and trophies to the winners.
“This race just keeps getting better, and there is no real secret here as we are continuously looking for ways to involve and engage the athletes and sponsors,” Euton told Gulf News.
“This run is about empowerment of women in the UAE and I have noticed in the entry list the growing number of Emirati women who are participating. This gives us confidence to work even harder to ensure this race grows in the near future.”
Held under the patronage of Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the UAE National Olympic Committee, the 2014 Dubai Holding Women’s Run, which started at Jumeirah Beach Park, attracted more than 5,000 runners from across the UAE.
