Ethiopia's Gobena and Kenya's Jepchirchir Triumph at Sydney Marathon

Addisu Gobena from Ethiopia and Kenyan world champion Peres Jepchirchir achieved dominant victories in the men's and women's categories at the Sydney Marathon.

For the 21-year-old Gobena, this marks his first win in a World Marathon Major, building on his second-place finish from the previous year. Jepchirchir, meanwhile, continued her impressive streak of major marathon wins, adding Sydney to her previous victories in Boston, New York, and London.

Gobena secured his win in the men's race with a commanding performance, crossing the finish line just four seconds ahead of his compatriot Chimdessa Debele Gudeta, with a time of 2:04:42. Tebello Ramakongoana of Lesotho secured third place.

Gobena's performance not only secured the victory but also shattered the existing course record by nearly a minute and a half. He expressed his happiness and attributed his success to learning from his past mistakes and dedicated training. "Last year I came second, I learnt from my mistake and I went back home and I worked on my mistake to perform and break the record today," he stated.

In the women's race, Jepchirchir was in a class of her own, finishing in 2:18:31, a remarkable nearly four minutes ahead of fellow Kenyan Irine Cheptai and Ethiopia's Shure Demise Ware. Jepchirchir shared her relief and joy at her performance, admitting she was prepared but uncertain of victory until the race concluded. "It was so hilly. First half [of the race] was so tough, but the second was better at least. But it was not easy," she commented on the challenging course.

The men's race saw a competitive lead pack, which gradually thinned out. Gobena, along with Gudeta, made a decisive move in the final kilometer to claim the top two spots.

In the women's event, Priscah Cherono initially established a significant lead, but Jepchirchir and Cheptai caught her before the 30km mark. Jepchirchir then broke away to secure her impressive victory, finishing just nine seconds shy of the course record.

The wheelchair races were won by Daniel Romanchuk of the United States in the men's category and Manuela Schar of Switzerland in the women's event.

This year's Sydney Marathon saw a record participation with approximately 40,000 runners competing over the scenic 42.19km course, which concluded at the iconic Sydney Opera House. The race has recently been elevated to the prestigious World Marathon Major series, joining the ranks of other elite global marathons.