Ethiopian runner Siyum Manazot Taferi won the 43rd Athens Authentic Marathon on Sunday, setting a new course record as he crossed the finish line at the historic Panathenaic Stadium in 2 hours, 10 minutes and 3 seconds.
Taferi completed the demanding 42.195-kilometer route from Marathon to Athens 31 seconds faster than the previous record of 2:10:34, which had been established by Kenya's Edwin Kiptoo in 2023.
The champion entered the venue, also known as Kallimarmaro, to enthusiastic applause from spectators while smiling as traditional Greek music played throughout the stadium.
His performance was particularly notable given the course's challenging hills, which make the Athens competition considerably more demanding than many of the world's leading city marathons.
Taferi faced strong competition from compatriot Assefa Tefera Mengisa, who finished second in 2:10:18, finishing just 15 seconds behind the winner and also dipping under the previous course mark.
Kenya's Patrick Keter Kiplagat secured third place in 2:11:22, followed by fellow Kenyan Vincent Kipsang Rono in 2:12:06 on the iconic Greek course.
Eritrea's Nguse Amlosom Tesfaldet completed the top five in 2:12:20, while Kenya's Victor Kipkech Bigwot and Ethiopia's Adane Nega finished sixth and seventh.
Greece's Konstantinos Stamoulis was the first Greek male athlete to finish, placing eighth overall in 2:17:37 to earn the national marathon championship title.
Ethiopia also dominated the women's race as Yatane Kormose Dusa claimed victory in 2:30:04, breaking the previous women's course record of 2:31:06 set by Lithuania's Rasa Drazdauskaite in 2010.
Fellow Ethiopian Tsiyon Abebe Temesgen finished second in the women's event in 2:30:29, followed by American Jane Chemkemboy Bareikis in 2:32:59.
Greece's Stamatia Noula set a national record for the historic course by finishing sixth overall among women in 2:35:13, surpassing the previous Greek mark held by Maria Polyzou.
Earlier in the supporting events, Panagiotis Petroulakis won the men's 10-kilometer race in a record 29:40, while Anastasia Marinakou claimed her sixth consecutive women's victory in the shorter distance.
This year's event established a new participation record with 85,000 registrations across the races held during the weekend, according to the Hellenic Athletics Federation.
Approximately 25,000 runners registered for the full marathon, while thousands more participated in the five-kilometer and 10-kilometer races, university competitions and shorter events.
Organizers reported participants from 125 countries, highlighting the growing international appeal of the historic race that follows the route associated with the ancient Greek messenger.
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