Double Ethiopian cross-country champion Getaneh Molla and teenager Zeineba Yimer took impressive wins at the 11th Ethiopian Half Marathon Championships in Legetafo, about 10 kilometres east of the capital Addis Ababa, on Sunday (28). Following his win at the Safi Half Marathon in Morocco three weeks ago, Molla was the overwhelming favourite for the men’s title. The 22-year-old lived up to expectations with an impressive victory to complete a unique 5000m, cross country and half marathon domestic treble within the space of a year. The three-way contest ended when Molla produced a strong finish in the final 400 metres to take victory in 1:01:25, one of the fastest times recorded for a half marathon in Ethiopia. “The opponents were very tough,” said Yimer, the 10th-place finisher in the junior race at last year’s World Cross Country Championships, who won the Egmond Aan Zee Half Marathon two weeks ago.

Source: Ethiopian News January 28, 2018 18:22 UTC