Ethiopian runner Sutume Asefa Kebede stormed to victory at the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K race, a World Athletics Elite Label road race, on Sunday.
On an ordinary Sunday, Asefa made history as she not only won the 25-kilometer race but also set a new course record.
To get to that place, however, she had to outpace one of the most formidable athletes on the road, her own compatriot, Yalemzerf Yehualaw. Yehualaw is the reigning world 10-kilometer record holder and last year’s champion of the London Marathon. And although this was her first time competing in the 25-kilometer discipline, she still posed a threat to every other competitor.
Kebede vs. Yehualaw
Nonetheless, Kebede’s track record was equally outstanding as Yehualaw’s, having finished third in the 2020 Tokyo Marathon and winning the 2015 Big 25km Berlin Event with a time of 1:21:55, the fifth-fastest record for the 25 km distance at that time.
Throughout the race, both runners provided excellent illustrations of what it meant to be a powerful runner.
Kebede, though, turned out to be more tactical in the closing kilometers. She put all her effort into the last kilometer and surged to the lead, leaving Yehualaw in the dust. She would go on to win the race in a record-breaking 1:18.47, annihilating both the previous event record (1:21:04) and the previous stand-alone 25km world record (1:19:53) that Mary Keitany established in 2010.
Yehualaw, on the other hand, finished the race 39 seconds later, clocking a time of 1:19:26.
In a post-race interview, Kebede stated that while she wanted to run faster, she was still happy with her timing. She also added that the good course and good weather conditions made things easier for her.
The third, fourth, and fifth places went to Betty Chepkemoi Kibet (Kenya, 1:21:43), Emebet Niguse (Ethiopia, 1:22:43), and Nelly Jeptoo (Kenya, 1:23:00), respectively.
According to Track Alerts, Kebede has won $7500 and a $3000 bonus.
Cover Photo: IG