Ashenafi and Mihret capture 10km titles

Moroccan expats shine at NAS Ramadan sports tournament.

Dubai — Ethiopians Ashenafi Moges Weldegiorgis and Mihret Tefera Adhena won the men’s and women’s Dh2 million 10km prize money road run titles in the third NAS Ramadan Sports Tournament at the NAS Sports Complex, late Friday night.

Ashenafi led the Ethiopian clean sweep in the International Male category with a time of 30.09 minutes followed by Lema Birbirsa Tola (30.13) and Hafte Berhe Kahsay (30.20). In the International Female Category, Mihret won gold in a time of 35.50 minutes, while her teammate Aynalem Woldewariyat Woldemichael was second in 35.52 minutes followed by Morocco’s Malika Asahssah for the bronze in 36.14.

Moroccan expats walked away with the major honours among the local participants. Ethiopian runners also finished at the top in the Expat Female category winning the first and third spots. Moroccan runners won all three places in the Expat Male category.

The backup for the event was impressive as at the finish line there were hydration stations, a recovery station offering protein shakes, a full-equipped massage centre, air-conditioned lounges, ice baths and therapy zones.

“We set had set up two misting stations along the route — at the 5km mark and the 7.5km mark to keep runners cool from the summer heat and humidity. In addition, there were water stations to keep the athletes hydrated along the 10km route,” officials said.

The mass start on a windy night which made conditions a lot easier for the runners, saw competition in eight categories. The race was flagged off near the Falcon Heritage Centre in Meydan and finished at the NAS Sports Complex.

Aziz Mustafa of France won top honours in the open male category in 29 minutes and 39 seconds, while Ethiopians Emebet Belew Adane and Belainesh Yami Gurmu finished first and third, and French girl Latifa Essarokh came second in the female category.

Held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), this year’s tournament is being held in six different sports disciplines including futsal, volleyball, a 10km road run, a 70km cycling race, wheelchair basketball and archery.

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