Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, took part in the inaugural Enugu City International Marathon on Saturday, successfully completing the 10km road race in a time of 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, East African athletes swept the top three spots in the elite 42km marathon.
The event was overseen by World Athletics, represented by Nadeem Khan, President of International Ultra Runners, along with Chief Tony Okowa, President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, and Chief Solomon Ogba, 1st Vice President of the Nigerian Olympic Committee. Participants from Kenya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Nigeria gathered in large numbers to compete for the prizes.
In the women’s elite category, Shaoline Chepriroi from Kenya won the premium prize of $15,000 with a time of 2:44:37 (Two hours, forty-four minutes, thirty-seven seconds). Tilahu Birul from Ethiopia secured second place with a time of 2:45:10 (Two hours, forty-five minutes, ten seconds), earning $10,000, while Rita Busiengy finished third in 2:47:17 (Two hours, forty-seven minutes, seventeen seconds) for a prize of $5,000.
Nigerian runner Blessing Shambo completed the 42 kilometres in 2:48:04 (Two hours, forty-eight minutes, four seconds), finishing fourth overall and claiming the top position among Nigerian female elite runners, taking home N1 million. Charity Agofure and Elizabeth Pam followed, finishing in 2:55:03 (Two hours, fifty-five minutes, three seconds) and 3:01:45 (Three hours, one minute, forty-five seconds), respectively, and earning N750,000 and N500,000 for their efforts.
In the men’s elite category, Ken Kopos from Kenya won with a time of 2:22:32 (Two hours, twenty-two minutes, thirty-two seconds), claiming the star prize of $15,000. He was followed by compatriots Steve Baswey and Bernard Sang, who finished second and third, earning $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.
Nigerian athlete Davou Gyang finished as the top Nigerian runner in the elite category with a time of 2:29:03 (Two hours, twenty-nine minutes, three seconds), narrowly beating Boyi Nyango by three seconds. Iliya Pam placed third, with the three athletes receiving cash prizes of N1 million, N750,000, and N500,000, respectively.
In the women’s 10km road race, Lydia Akusho, Esther Afigbo, and Mwantiti Davou secured the first, second, and third positions, while Francis James, Iliya Raymond, and Boyi Gang did the same in the men’s category.
Upon congratulating the winners and participants, Governor Mbah pledged to enhance the sporting event in future years, aligning with his administration’s vision to establish Enugu State as a premier destination for investment, business, tourism, and living.
“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 World Athletics. The world will be watching.
“Meanwhile, what you are witnessing is not 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 ensure that through our sporting events, we 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.
He expressed gratitude to the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Barr. Lloyd Ekweremadu, his team, the consultants led by Yetunde Olopade of Nilayo Sports Management Limited, and the security agencies for their contributions to the event’s success.
The flag-off was attended by notable figures, including the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, former governor of Imo State, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, and a host of federal and state lawmakers, commissioners, and other state government officials.
