Behailu Mamo & Konjit Tilahun Victorious in Venice
Ethiopia claimed a winning double at the 29th edition of the Venice Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, thanks to Behailu Mamo and Konjit Tilahun on Sunday (26).
Mamo crossed the finish line in 2:16.45 while Tilahun justified her mantle of favourite for the women’s race and won in 2:40:20, the times slowed by strong winds. In fact, the women’s winning time was the slowest in the race’s history, almost 17minutes adrift of the women’s course record of 2:23:37 set by Kenya’s Helen Kirop three years ago.
The men’s race set off at a very restrained pace. Kenyan pacemaker Robert Ndiwa went through the first 5km in 15.52 while towing a quartet of his compatriots:Donald Sambu, Weldon Korir and Elijah Serem and Joseph Kiptum, the latter being the fastest man in the field with a best of 2:09:56, as well as Mamo.
Ndiwa, who was designated to pace the race until 25km, then sped up just before at 10km with a 2:59 kilometre, passing 10km in 31:17 but Mamo decided to reel in the rampant pacemaker at 15km and pulled away from the chasing group of Kiptum, Serem and Korir before closing the gap on Ndiwa
Read more at: IAAF.org
