BELGRADE, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian runners claimed a clean sweep in both men's and women's competitions in the 42km race at the 35th Belgrade Marathon on Sunday.
Mulgeta Birhanu Feyissa won the men's competition by finishing the 42.195-kilometer course in two hours, 12 minutes and 59 seconds, ahead of compatriots Mesfin Teshome Bekele (2:13:39) and Tsegaye Debele Belda (2:16:36).
In the women's competition, Tsedal Gebretsadik Chekole (2:34:01) triumphed over her compatriots Azeb Tesfay Gebremedhin (2:44:34) and Tigist Teshome Ayanu (2:51:01).
"This race was good for me so I won. The organization was great. This is my first time winning a marathon, and it's my best time," Birhanu Feyissa told Xinhua.
Tsegaye Debele Belda said the climate was too hot for him and that he needed to be better prepared to win gold next year.
"I have been training for a long time, but I am only third. I need to train more and improve," Debele Belda said.
Among the many half-marathon competitors was Bojan, who was joined by his daughter at the finish line. Fighting for breath he told Xinhua: "It took me a very long time to reach the finish line, on such a hot day. I can barely speak."
However, 83-year-old Miodrag Veljkovic who came through the finish line roughly at the same time was much more verbose: "For my age, the result is great, excellent. I just started getting a bit tired. But I haven't been training enough so it's all good - I achieved three hours and 18 minutes. Next year I plan to run twice as much," he said.
Director of the Belgrade Marathon, Darko Habus, told Xinhua that nearly 7,000 competitors crossed the start line Sunday morning and that the race was hard due to warm weather in the Serbian capital, which mostly suited runners from African countries. ■