Defending women’s champ Minsewo too ‘ready to deliver a great performance’
MUMBAI: It’s a stat which Tata Mumbai Marathon‘s long-time race commentator Tim Hutchings regretted not highlighting when he introduced the two-time men’s defending champion Lemi Berhanu Hayle at Thursday’s elite athlete press conference. Hutchings, of course, would duly point it out later, and it sure is a staggering number! In 24 marathons which Lemi has competed in so far, he has won 11 of them and finished on the podium 14 times.
Why, just last year alone, he won all three of the marathons he ran, adding wins in Prague (May) and Beijing (Nov) to his second straight triumph here in Jan.
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If that doesn’t tell you who is the man to beat at the 20th edition of the marathon on Sunday, nothing will!
And the Ethiopian, smiling and looking relaxed, didn’t shy away from declaring his intent to accomplish something no elite male has managed at the Mumbai Marathon until now – win a third successive title.
“My preparation for the marathon has been excellent, especially after Beijing. I’ve been focused on training and I am aiming for my third win this Sunday,” said Lemi, who famously achieved his maiden win here in 2023 in a new course record time of 2:07:32. “I have good experience with this course, and I believe my preparation gives me an advantage.”
With a 45% win rate, Lemi’s remarkable success in marathons, as Hutchings would acknowledge, “is almost unheard of”. What did he put his consistency down to? “I just listen to my coach, and also my manager. I follow my coach’s training programe and the manager’s plan (in terms of which events to enter). That is why I think I get a good result,” was his simple explanation.
In a field of quality runners, however, with 10 other men boasting personal best timings under the course record, Lemi’s closest competition could come from compatriot Bazezew Asmare and Philemon Rono of Kenya, who finished runner-up to Lemi two years ago.
Asmare’s last marathon appearance was in Berlin, where a minor injury setback saw him finish 14th in a time of 2:06:51. “I ran my last marathon with a small injury, but now I’m fully fit and well-prepared” he said.
It won’t be just Lemi aiming to defend his crown on Sunday, as Aberash Minsewo, who won the elite women’s race on her competitive marathon debut here last year, has also returned. “Last year was a learning curve, but now I feel much more prepared, and that has made a big difference,” said the 23-year-old Ethiopian who finished fourth in the 2023 Delhi Half Marathon. “When I first came to India, I didn’t know what to expect, but now I feel ready to deliver a great performance.”
The elite women’s field includes another former champion in Shuko Genemo. It remains to be seen if the 29-year-old can replicate her victory here in 2016, but the fact that she trains alongside fellow Ethiopian Bedatu Hirpa, who just won the Dubai Marathon last Sunday, should boost her own ambitions. “I returned to Mumbai because I know the course well and had a good result here before,” said Genemo.
