The 2025 Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris was another strong showing for African athletes, with Ethiopia’s Bedatu Hirpa and Kenya’s Benard Biwott taking first place in the women’s and men’s races respectively.
In the women’s event, 25-year-old Bedatu Hirpa finished with a time of 2:20:45, overtaking compatriot Dera Dida in the final metres to win by just four seconds. It was a repeat of their close finish earlier this year in Dubai, where Hirpa also claimed victory. Kenya’s Angela Tanui placed third in 2:21:07.
“I roared as I went over the finish line because I really wanted to win the Marathon de Paris, said Hirpa after the win. “I was over the moon and wanted to express just how happy I was. It was a tough race, but victory washes away the suffering.”
On the men’s side, 22-year-old Benard Biwott pulled away from the lead group at kilometre 33 and never looked back. He finished in 2:05:25, setting a new personal best and improving on last year’s winning time by eight seconds. Djibouti’s Ibrahim Hassan came second in 2:06:13, followed by Kenya’s Sila Kiptoo in 2:06:21.
This was Biwott’s second marathon win, following his debut victory in Frankfurt last October.
“I’m really happy with the win”, Biwott. “I pushed hard all the way and I’m really pleased with my time. It was very tough, but I gave it everything I had.
See the moment Bedatu Hirpa and Benard Biwott crossed their finish lines
© Bella Naija