Eritrean merhawi

Defending Champs Ethiopians Hayle Lemi: Defending champions and event record holders Ethiopians Hayle Lemi Berhanu and Anchialem Haymanot will headline the 19th edition of the Mumbai Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, scheduled on January 7.

Earlier this year, Berhanu clocked 2:07:32 and Haymanot logged an incredible 2:24:15 on her debut, to win in Mumbai with new event records. Later, Haymanot improved her timing to 2:22:23 in Amsterdam while finishing sixth where Berhanu posted a season-best 2:05:48 to finish at fifth.

Speaking about returning to the Mumbai Marathon, Berhanu said: "I won the 2023 edition of the Mumbai marathon under perfect conditions. It was indeed a surprise and unexpected win at that time. But I want to make sure that I replicate my victory in January as I'm confident of finishing on top in 2024".