The Kenyan Kibel Gilbert and the Moroccan Kaltoum Bouasarya won, on Sunday, the 33rd edition of the Marrakech International Marathon, a sporting event placed under the high patronage of King Mohammed VI. + A – A Kibel Gilbert completed the event in 2h09mn48s, followed by Moroccans Abdellah Tagharaft (2h09mn50s) and Soufiyan Bouqantar (2h09mn54s). In the Ladies category, it was the Moroccan Kaltoum Bouasarya who won the title of this 33rd edition by finishing the race in 2h 27mn 22s, followed by the Ethiopians Tajinesh Gebisa Tulu (2h 27mn 46s) and Ayele Webalem Basaznew. (2h 29mn 01s). Regarding the men’s half-marathon event, the Moroccan Omar Ait Chitachen occupied the first position by covering the distance in 1h00mn22s, followed by the Cypriot Amine Khadiri (1h02mn02s) and the Moroccan Yassine El Allami (1h02mn04s). The women’s half marathon was dominated by Moroccan athletes, who won the first three places. Thus Fatiha Asmid won the title of this 33rd edition by covering the distance in 1h12mn30s, followed by Sabah Es-seqally (1h12mn55s) and Hasnae Zahi (1h13mn09s). The trophy presentation ceremony took place in the presence of the Wali of the Marrakech-Safi region, governor of the Marrakech prefecture, Karim Kassi-Lahlou, regional and local elected officials, as well as other civil and military personalities. In a statement to the press, Kenyan athlete Kibel Gilbert said he was happy to win the 33rd edition of the Marrakech International Marathon, after a tough competition with Moroccan athletes of great potential. For his part, athlete Kaltoum Bouasarya expressed, in a statement to the M24 television channel, his joy at winning this marathon, breaking a new personal best and achieving the minimum for qualification for the marathon world championship. For her part, athlete Fatiha Asmid said, in a similar statement, that she was proud of her achievement, welcoming the good organization of this international sporting event. Athlete Omar Ait Chitachen, winner of the half-marathon, said he was satisfied with this result, expressing his hope of achieving better timing in future races. Mohamed Knidiri, president of the Grand Atlas association, initiator of this sporting event, indicated that “the 33rd edition of the Marrakech International Marathon was a great success in terms of organization and participation”, adding that the marathon took place in “good” conditions. Welcoming the fact that a new record (1h00mn22s) in the half-marathon event was broken during this edition, Mr. Knidri stressed that several athletes achieved the minimum, key to their qualification for major events, such as the world championship and the Olympic Games. Organized by the Le Grand Atlas association in partnership with the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports, the Wilaya of the Marrakech-Safi region, the urban commune of Marrakech, the urban commune of Méchouar Kasbah and the Prefectural Council of Marrakech, the 33rd edition of the Marrakech International Marathon saw the participation of more than 14,000 national and international athletes. This marathon has established itself as a school for the promotion and launch of great stars of this discipline who have left their mark on the international scene, like Abdelkader El Mouaziz who held the record for the Marrakech Marathon from 1999 to 2012 (2h 08min 15s) and won the London Marathon twice (1999 and 2001) and the New York Marathon in 2000, Aderrahim Goumri who held the best Moroccan performance (2h 05min 30s) from 2002 to 2009 and Jaouad Gharib, double world champion having achieved 2h05min 27s in London in 2009 and many other performances. This sporting event received the label allowing it to qualify for the World Championship which took place in August 2015 in Beijing, and was qualifying for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
source: menara.ma
