SOUTH KOREA: Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay defended his Daegu Marathon crown on Sunday, prevailing in a dramatic sprint finish to secure back-to-back victories in South Korea.
Geay crossed the line in 2 hours, 8 minutes and 8 seconds, officially the same time as Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Gudeta, with the title decided only by a marginal lean at the tape.
The Tanzanian’s late surge earned him the winner’s prize of $200,000 and confirmed his status as one of East Africa’s leading marathoners.
The race unfolded as a tactical contest rather than a fast, record-chasing run.
Fellow Tanzanian Emmanuel Dinday set the early tempo, moving to the front by the 5km mark in 15:05 as the field began to stretch out.
At that stage, Geay was running conservatively in 14th place, conserving energy while remaining within striking distance. Benard Geay was positioned just behind him.
By 10km, the Tanzanian contingent had worked their way closer to the lead pack. Dinday advanced to third, Gabriel Geay to fourth, and Benard Geay into the top 10, signalling their intent as the race approached its midpoint.
At 15km, Dinday led in 44:22, with Geay a second adrift. Eritrea’s Samson Hailemikael and Gudeta remained close as the leading group tightened. The halfway point was reached in 58:43, with four runners separated by only two seconds.
The decisive phase began after 30km. Gudeta briefly seized control at 1:28:12 as the pace increased, and Dinday — prominent for much of the race — began to lose contact with the leaders.
Geay responded at 35km, surging to the front in 1:43:55 and injecting fresh pace into the contest. Gudeta matched him stride for stride, and the pair broke clear of the rest of the field heading towards the closing stages.
At 40km, Geay still held a slender lead in 2:01:20, with Gudeta closely tracking him. Dinday, though unable to rejoin the leading duo, maintained his effort to secure third place in 2:08:16, completing a strong Tanzanian performance. Benard Geay finished 13th in 2:15:45.
The final stretch inside Daegu Stadium produced a gripping duel. Running shoulder to shoulder, Geay and Gudeta launched into an all-out sprint. In the closing metres, Geay found an extra burst, leaning at the line to edge his rival by the narrowest of margins.
With successive titles in Daegu, Geay underlined Tanzania’s growing presence in elite distance running and reaffirmed his ability to deliver under championship pressure