World Athletics Outdoor Championships – News – Ethiopia’s Beriso Wins Women’s World Marathon Title In Budapest

ETHIOPIA’S BERISO WINS WOMEN’S WORLD MARATHON TITLE IN BUDAPEST
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2023 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved – Used with permission.

BUDAPEST (26-Aug) — On a day better suited for sunbathing and a dip in the pool, Ethiopia’s Amane Beriso Shankule overcame both the heat and a stacked field to win the World Athletics women’s marathon title at Heroes’ Square this morning.  Among 78 women from 47 countries who started today’s race at 7:00 a.m., the 31 year-old Beriso was fastest in 2:24:23, a strong time given that race temperatures rose to the mid-80’s Fahrenheit (high 20’s Celsius) accompanied by high humidity.  For Beriso it was her first global title in her first appearance at a World Athletics Championships.

“It’s simple; it makes me very happy,” Beriso told reporters through a translator.  She continued: “You always have to be blessed by God.  I wished (to win), I trained very hard, but only God can make it happen.  So, God helped me and I’m here.”

Beriso was part of a superb Ethiopian team which controlled today’s race completely.  The team leader was Gotytom Gebreslase, the reigning world champion, and the other two were Tsehay Gemechu, the second place finisher at this year’s Tokyo Marathon, and Yalemzerf Yehualaw, the fifth place finisher from the TCS London Marathon last April.  The foursome were part of a 26-woman lead pack at halfway (1:14:29) which was led by former USA record holder Keira D’Amato.

“I felt really smooth in the first half,” said D’Amato, who later in the race felt a pinch in the top of her right thigh just below where her hip flexes.  Having trouble moving her leg, she struggled to finish and ended up 17th in 2:31:35.  “I felt like I just couldn’t pick up my right leg, so it was tough,” the USA half-marathon record holder continued.  “So it came down to, should I stop?  No, I’m not going to stop.  If I can keep moving, I’m going to keep moving, just knowing my kids are watching.  It’s like, you’re fighting for something else at that point.”

Beriso was the leader at 25 km (1:27:51) and her three teammates were still with her, plus other medal favorites like Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru and Selly Chepyego Kaptich, Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, and Eritrea’s Nazret Weldu.  Unheralded Moroccan Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi, ranked only 159th in the world by World Athletics, was also among the leaders.

The pace got a lot faster over the next five kilometers, dipping down to 16:35 for that split…