Marathon: Naibei and Dinke win the Lagos Marathon

Kenya’s Emmanuel Naibei and Ethiopia’s Meseret Dinke have won the 6th Access Bank Lagos City Marathon in the men’s and women’s categories respectively. Naibei beat thousands of marathoners on Saturday morning to win the 42km race with a time of 2 hours 11 minutes and 37 seconds.

Emmanuel Naibei and Meseret Dinke emerged winners of the 2021 edition of the Lagos City Marathon race yesterday, Saturday, winning a cash prize of $30,000 each. Naibei of Kenya topped the men’s race with a time of 2 hours 11 minutes 37 seconds. Daresa Geleta of Ethiopia, took second place with $20,000, while his compatriot Demiso Legese, took third place with $15,000.

In the women’s competition, Meseret Dinke of Ethiopia finished first, winning $30,000. Celestine Chepchirchir of Kenya came second, winning a cash prize of $20,000, while Desta Muluneh of Ethiopia took third place with a cash prize of $15,000. As in the men’s category, this is the fourth time an Ethiopian has won the women’s race.

Sponsored by Access Bank, the race started in the early hours of Saturday in front of the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos State, and ended in Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island, a 42-kilometre stretch. Unlike previous years when over 100,000 athletes participated in the marathon, only 300 athletes were allowed to participate in the 2021 edition due to the Covid-19 pandemic.