Paris Marathon 2024: Inexperienced Ethiopia Runners Rewrite History With Double Gold

Ethiopian marathon athletes have clinched double gold in Paris even before the Olympics. While Jamaica might still be considered the undisputed king in the track and field realm, Ethiopia is soon emerging as a force to be reckoned with. While the country could only muster a total of four medals in Tokyo, the likes of Selemon Barega, Lamecha Girma, Gudaf Tsegay and Letsenbet Gidey will be eager to set their records straight if they qualify this time. 

However, apart from their stars, several other track and field talents seem to be peaking just at the right time. In the recently held Paris Marathon, Ethiopia dominated the event as they clinched the gold in both the men’s and women’s divisions. And guess what? Both the winners are relatively new to the mix! 

Ethiopia reigns supreme in Paris

The 26-year-old Mulugeta Uma was only running in his fourth marathon on Sunday. However, as it stands, an experience of three marathons was enough for Uma to whiz past the likes of Elisha Rotich and Titus Kipruto to take the pole position. Claiming the prestigious gold, Uma clocked an impressive time of 2:5.33s. By doing so, the 26-year-old bettered his own record by a huge margin of 30+ seconds. With Kenya’s Kipruto in hot pursuit, Uma sped away just a couple of kilometers from the finish line to register a record victory. 

The victory for Uma was significant as he left behind Rotich, who was the reigning record holder in the Paris Marathon. However, there was a tad bit of concern for Ethiopia as the defending champion, Abeje Ayana failed to make the top five while ending in ninth position. Fortunately, there were no such concerns whatsoever when it came to the women’s division. 

In what was a dream come true for Mestswut Fikir, the 24-year-old clinched the gold on her debut as a full-fledged marathon runner. Running for glory, Fikir ended up with a time of 2:20.45s, just a minute shy of the Paris record. At the fag end of the marathon, Fikir displayed her sprinting prowess as she took on Enat Tirusew and beat her comfortably. Well, for most of the world, such stories of celebration from Ethiopia might come as a surprise. But in reality, Ethiopia is taking the Paris Olympics much more seriously than anyone could imagine. 

Ethiopia’s plans ahead of Paris 2024

The President of the Ethiopian Olympic Committee, Ashebir Woldegiorgis, is hell-bent on bringing the Olympic glory to Ethiopia. To better the athletes’ performance, the EOC is organizing several Olympic Torch Relay activities. Woldegiorgis has also created several committees dedicated exclusively to cater to specific responsibilities. 

Some of these areas include public relations, cultural and technical, registration and accreditation, travel and logistics, and many more. Running parallel to these are campaigns for athletes that include several upgraded and state-of-the-art activities to make the athletes fare better in their respective fields.

Read More: Athletes Face Insane Conditions at -52°C as They Compete in a Death-Defying Marathon