Ethiopia’s Addisu Gobena storms to a Sydney Marathon record

Ethiopia's Addisu Gobena set a new record at the Sydney Marathon on Sunday, winning the men's race in an impressive two hours, four minutes, and 42 seconds. This was a full minute and a half faster than the previous record on the challenging hilly course that drew 40,000 participants from around the globe. The 21-year-old Gobena, formerly a javelin thrower until 2023, broke away from the lead pack composed of six runners in the final two kilometers and sprinted ahead on the downhill finish to the iconic Sydney Opera House, securing his victory by four seconds.

Gobena's win came after a second-place finish last year, where he reflected on his mistake and dedicated himself to improving his performance. He celebrated his triumph by punching the air in excitement. Tebello Ramakongoana of Lesotho placed third with a time of 2:04:57. The top seven finishers, including the previous year's champion Kiros, all completed the race in under 2:06:06, which was the previous record set last year.

This year marked the Sydney Marathon's second year as a major marathon event, joining a prestigious list of races such as New York, London, Berlin, Boston, Tokyo, and Chicago. In the women's category, Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya secured an overwhelming win, breaking away early and crossing the line in 2:18:31, more than three minutes ahead of the previous year's winner Sidan Hassan.

Jepchirchir has now added the Sydney Marathon title to her wins in Boston, New York, and London. She followed this with a second-place finish behind Dutch star Sidan Hassan, who set the previous year's record.