Ethiopia stamped its fleety and fierce footprint all over the Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) course on Sunday with Tadu Abate Deme and compatriot Yeshi Kalayu Chekole winning the international elite men’s and women’s marathon respectively, taking home prize money of USD 50,000 (approximately R45 lakh each). With this victory, Ethiopians have now taken both, men’s and women’s, titles together in Mumbai for the seventh time in 21 editions.

See-saw battle for title 

Though course records (men: 2:07:32 and women: 2:24:15) stayed intact, it was a riveting day of racing. The men’s international elite marathon witnessed a see-saw battle with Kenyan Leonard Kiprotich Langat, 2025 runner-up Merhawi Kesete (Eritrea) and Tadu Abate (Ethiopia) battling from the start.