BAHRAIN’S Dalila Gosa raced to an impressive victory in the fourth Saitama International Marathon in Japan.
Dalila had twice the reason to celebrate as she also led compatriot Shitaye Eshete to a fantastic one-two for Bahrain.
The pair were only four seconds apart as Dalila crossed the finish line. She completed the 42.195-kilometre distance in two hours 25 minutes 35 seconds.
The Bahraini pair did well to work together, as they were literally running closely together for much of the race.
“I was able to win because I trained hard. I’m very happy,” Dalila was quoted as saying. “I’d like to work more on speed and endurance, and be able to maximise my performance.”
Silvia Kibet of Kenya finished third more than three minutes behind in 2:28:38. The Japanese trio of Marie Imada, Mao Kiyota and Saki Tokoro rounded out the top six.
The event was a Silver Label Road Race under the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It also served as a Japanese trial for the 2020 Olympic Games.