At the 42 km race that started at the National Stadium in Surulere and ended at the Eko Atlantic City in Victoria Island, the 39-year-old runner took the top spot with a time of 2 hours, 14 minutes, and 6 seconds.
He won $40,000, beating Dekeba Shefa of Ethiopia and Bernard Sang of Kenya who placed second and third, respectively, earning $30,000 and an unknown amount.
In the women’s race, Alemenseh Guta of Ethiopia came in first, followed by Kebene Urisa in second and Naomi Maiyo of Kenya in third. Both the men’s and women’s winners will compete in the marathon event at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Felicia Adetutu finished 10th in the women’s race, becoming the first Nigerian woman to cross the finish line and earning $2000 and N3 million for her achievement.
The Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, recently upgraded by the world athletics body to a gold label less than eight years after its debut, was won by Geleta Ulfata of Ethiopia in 2022. Emmanuel Naibei and David Barmasai won the 5th and 6th editions, respectively.