‘We want to make Enugu City International Marathon a major highlight in the calendar of World Athletics,’ says Enugu State Governor, Mbah
Dr Peter Mbah, the Executive Governor of Enugu state says his administration is determined to make the Enugu International Marathon a major feature in the calendar of World Athletics.
The Governor made the promise after running the 10km version of the race for 45 minutes on Saturday in Enugu.
‘What we have just witnessed is a spectacular event. It is a testament to the power of sports. Remember that I told you all that participated in our last year’s Enugu City Half Marathon that we are going to make the Enugu City International Marathon, an international event. Have we not done that?
‘The International Marathon attracted elite runners across Africa. We have long distance runners from Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea. Next year, we are going to attract elite runners from across the world, not just Africa. Our objective is to make the Enugu City International Marathon a major highlight in the calendar of the World Athletics. The world will be watching.
‘Meanwhile, what you are witnessing is not a happenstance. It is connecting the dots. When we said that we were going to attract three million visitors every year and make Enugu state the premier destination for tourism, these are all part of the dots. Sports, for us, is beyond recreation. It is a serious business.
‘We are going to make sure that through our sporting event, we are going to nurture talents, dreams will be born, goals will be achieved, and talents will blossom. We will be able to attract a lot of businesses. That means our business will thrive. People will come to Enugu and they will spend their money,’ Mbah stated
In the women’s elite category, Shaoline Chepriroi of Kenya finished in 2:44:37 to come first and clinched the premium prize of $15,000.
Tilahu Birul of Ethiopia finished in 2:45:10 to place second and walk away with $10,000 prize money, while Rita Busiengy of finished in 2:47:17, earning her $5,000.
Nigeria’s Blessing Shambo completed full marathon in 2:48:04 to finish fourth and place first among Nigerian women elite runners and went home with N1 million, while Charity Agofure and Elizabeth Pam finished in 2:55:03 and 3:01:45 to clinch the second and third prices, respectively, in the Nigerian elite runners category.
Agofure and Pam got N750,000 and N500,000, accordingly, for their efforts.
In the men’s category, Ken Kopos of Kenya, ran the 42km in 2:22:32 to claim the star prize of $15,000, while his compatriots, Steve Baswey and Bernard Sang placed second and third, respectively, to earn themselves $10,000 and $5,000, accordingly.
Davou Gyang finished in 2:29:03 to emerge Nigeria’s best in the elite category, beating compatriot Boyi Nyango with just three seconds, while Iliya Pam placed third. They got cash prizes of N1 million, N750,000, and N500,000, respectively.
Lydia Akusho, Esther Afigbo, and Mwantiti Davou came first, second, and third, respectively in the women’s category of the 10km Road Race, while Francis James, Iliya Raymond, and Boyi Gang placed first, second, and third, respectively, in the male category.
