Ethiopian Athletes Shine as Eisa and Barega Claim Dominant Victories at Great Manchester Run

On May 19, 2025 685

Addis Ababa, May 18, 2025 (FMC) — Ethiopian long-distance stars Medina Eisa and Selemon Barega delivered outstanding performances at the 2025 AJ Bell Great Manchester Run on Sunday, each claiming convincing victories in the 10km races and securing a memorable double win for the nation.

Medina Eisa, the reigning world U20 5000m champion and seventh-place finisher in the 5000m at the Tokyo Olympics, produced a stunning run to win the women’s 10km race in 30:42. Her performance saw her pull away from a highly competitive field on a clear and bright morning in north-west England.

Starting as part of a nine-woman lead group that included former world champion Gotytom Gebreslase and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri, Eisa made a decisive move after the halfway mark. After a steady 5km split of 15:36, she surged ahead with back-to-back kilometers of 2:59 and 2:58, breaking away as she passed the iconic Old Trafford stadium.

She closed the second half in a remarkable 15:08, finishing well ahead of her rivals. The USA’s Emily Sisson finished second in 31:03, overtaking both Obiri and Gebreslase in the final stages.

In the men’s race, Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega showcased his versatility and tactical brilliance with a powerful late surge to take victory in 27:49.

Though headwinds on parts of the course made record-chasing difficult, Barega remained undeterred, asserting control in the final kilometre against a strong field that included defending champion Vincent Ngetich of Kenya and rising Uruguayan talent Santiago Catrofe.

This marks Barega’s first 10km road race since winning the Great Ethiopian Run in 2017. Since then, his track career has reached remarkable heights—including Olympic gold in Tokyo—but the 24-year-old is now turning his focus increasingly toward road racing.

Over 30,000 participants took part in the various waves of the event, which also featured half marathon competitions. The symbolic starting gun was fired by three generations of Olympic 800m champions: Ann Packer (1964), Kelly Holmes (2004), and Keely Hodgkinson (2024).