Dechasa and Ayalew win 2008 TOYOTA Great Ethiopian Run

Ayalew, 20, kept her crown in the women's race at
the Great Ethiopian Run with a time of 33 minutes
and 31 seconds.

24 November, 2008

24 November 2008 ethiopiarun – Chala Dechasa who finished 2nd in last month's 2008 ING Amsterdam Marathon stormed to an impressive victory in the men's race of the 2008 TOYOTA Great Ethiopian Run held yesterday in Addis Ababa. In the women's race defending champion Wude Ayalew repeated her victory to become only the second athlete to record two consecutive wins in the race's eight-year history.

Chala's victory was a further triumph for his coach Getaneh Tessema who has coached each of the past three winners of the men's race. Deriba Merga who won this race in 2006 gave the toughest challenge to Dechasa, leading the race until the 6km point, at which point Dechasa took the lead up the hill past the National palace, eventually dropping Merga in the race's 9th kilometer.

As well as sharing the same coach as last year's winner Tsegaye Kebede, Dechasa also hails from the same town of Sendafa just 40km northeast of Addis Ababa. Interestingly, too, Kebede won in 2007 one month after a 2:08 performance in Amsterdam, and then went on to win this year's Paris Marathon and the marathon bronze medal in Beijing.

In the women's race Ayalew broke clear just after the 5km point, coming home in a slightly faster time (33:31) than her winning time of last year.

Britain's Mohammed Farah finished 15th in 29:48, one place behind Ayele Abshiro who last Sunday had beaten Kenenisa Bekele over 15km in Holland.

Results: men:
1. Chala Dechasa 28:55
2. Feysa Lelisa 29:07
3. Deriba Merga 29:11

Results: women:
1. Wude Ayalew 33:31
2. Workitu Ayano 33:43
3. Teyba Erkeso 34:06