Abshero, Mergia eye London

Both Ayele Abshero and Aselefech Mergia hope to have done enough to represent Ethiopia at this summer’s London Olympics after their course record-breaking exploits

DUBAI - Both Ayele Abshero and Aselefech Mergia hope to have done enough to represent Ethiopia at this summer’s London Olympics after their course record-breaking exploits at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on Friday.

Victorious debutant Abshero pulled off a shock result by eclipsing some more-fancied rivals to knock half a minute off Haile Gebrselassie’s prior best in the elite men’s event, while countrywoman Mergia was equally as emphatic in the equivalent women’s field.

She surpassed the previous marker set by fellow Ethiopian Berhane Adere by more than three minutes to claim back-to-back titles here and both competitors will now wait expectantly to hear if those efforts have swayed the selection panel.

“This is a result of hard work,” explained surprise package Abshero. “I’ve worked very hard for this and that’s why I won; I’ve been in training for this marathon for over four months. “I prepared very well for this marathon and, even though it was my first marathon, I was confident I’d perform well.

“I wasn’t thinking at all about breaking the course record. I was just running and, when I heard I’d broken the course record, I was very surprised.

“I’m very happy about breaking Haile’s record and to get this time is unbelievable, particularly with it being my first marathon.

“I’m overjoyed and this will be a big motivation for me for the forthcoming marathons to come.

“I’m now thinking about going to the Olympics with this good time. If the federation select me to go to the Olympics, I’ll be happy and try to do something special.”

Mergia also spoke of similar ambitions after backing up her 2011 success here with another triumph on the emirate’s roads, adding: “This is a special day for me as this is my second win.

“It’s also a very special thing to break the Ethiopian record, so I’m very happy. If you run well here, there’s a big chance that you’ll go to the Olympics and I came here with that in mind. I ran well and won with a good time. If I go to the Olympics, I’ll try to win.

“Next year, I’ll try to improve upon that time. I’ve come first now for the past two years and, of course, I’d like to do so again in 2013 if possible.”

Meanwhile, Abshero was unsure how he intended to spend his unexpected $250,000 winnings, but Mergia hoped to put it towards the greater good overall.

“I will invest the money in Ethiopia to create work for poor people and help them like that,” she added.

alex@khaleejtimes.com