NMDC Hyderabad Marathon: Ethiopia sweeps elite titles as Indians shine

Ethiopia’s Emane Seifu and Seboka Negusse won the women’s and men’s elite titles at the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon. Gopi Thonakal finished fourth overall as the leading Indian man, while Nirmaben Thakor emerged as the leading Indian woman

Hyderabad: Ethiopia’s Emane Seifu emerged as the champion in the women’s elite category, clocking 2:46:29 at the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon on Sunday.

Ethiopia’s Tsega Desta finished second in 2:46:57, while Kenya’s Teresiah Omosa secured third place with a time of 2:47:17.

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Among Indian women, Nirmaben Thakor was the leading Indian finisher, clocking 2:50:20. She was followed by Bhagirathi Non (2:51:41), Meenakshi Negi (3:08:43), Maripally Uma (3:18:22) and Bhagwati Dangi (3:31:28).

In the men’s elite category, Ethiopia’s Seboka Negusse emerged as the champion with a winning time of 2:20:57. Kenya’s Felix Kimutai also clocked 2:20:57 to finish second, while compatriot Francis Cheruiyot secured third place in 2:21:29.

Among Indian men, Gopi Thonakal was the leading Indian finisher, securing fourth place overall in 2:21:46. He was followed by Man Singh (2:23:56), Pradeep Singh Chauhan (2:26:12), Ranjit Singh (2:27:49) and Bugatha Srinu (2:29:56).

A special highlight of this year’s marathon was the participation of 184 young tribal runners from Chhattisgarh, where NMDC operates its mining projects. The event marked their marathon debut.

Speaking at the flag-off, Dr M. Ramesh, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad, said, “Hyderabad has a very strong running community. Hyderabadis are health-conscious, and the city has also emerged as an events capital of India. Telangana is known for its hospitality. Nearly 2,000 police personnel participated in different categories of the marathon.”

Krishna Kumar Thakur, Director (Personnel), NMDC, said the initiative had helped identify promising running talent among tribal youth.

The first-place winner received Rs 3 lakh, while the second-place and third-place winners received Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively. The runners finishing fourth, fifth and sixth received Rs 1.5 lakh, Rs 1 lakh and Rs 75,000, respectively.

Novartis Healthcare was recognised for recording the highest percentage of women participants in the marathon.

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories was recognised for recording the highest number of registrations, with 1,000 employees and participants registering for the event.

Arcesium was recognised for its contribution of Rs 30 lakh towards charity.

The NMDC Hyderabad Marathon supports 40 NGOs and has raised more than Rs 2 crore for various charitable organisations through the event.