TANZANIAN long-distance runner Gabriel Geay successfully defended his title at the Daegu Marathon held yesterday in Daegu, South Korea finishing shoulder to shoulder with Ethiopian Chimdesa Debele Gudeta.

Both athletes clocked 2:08:08, but following a photo-finish review, Geay (pictured) was declared the winner after being judged to have crossed the line first by a slight margin.

Third place went to another Tanzanian, Emmanuel Daoud Dinday, who completed the race in 2:08:16.

The victory marks Geay’s second consecutive triumph in the event, having first won the race last year.

Fourth place was claimed by Eritrea’s Samson Amare Hailemikael in 2:08:38, while Ethiopia’s Gerba Beata Dibaba finished fifth in 2:10:02.

Daegu is one of South Korea’s three largest cities and is widely recognised as an international sports hub. 

The city gained global prominence after hosting the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, which earned it recognition as the world’s second international track and field city after Stuttgart, Germany.

It further cemented its reputation by successfully staging the 2017 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships and is set to host the 2026 World Masters Athletics Championships.

The Daegu Marathon has held World Athletics label status since 2013, under certification from World Athletics.

The event is regarded as one of South Korea’s premier sporting festivals, attracting world-class elite athletes and more than 40,000 mass-participation runners. 

Since 2024, the race has offered one of the highest prize purses in marathon running, with $200,000 (more than 500m/-) awarded to each of the men’s and women’s champions.