Barega & Eisa claim Great Manchester Run wins

Men’s and women’s 10 km races at the Great Manchester Run, respectively, were won by Ethiopians Selemon Barega and Medina Eisa.

In Tokyo 2020, Barega won in 27 minutes, 49 seconds, which was her Olympic record.

Santiago Catrofe, the Uruguayan who won last year’s title with 27: 58, finished three seconds behind.

Alfie Manthorpe ranked fifth, and Welshman Dewi Griffiths ranked eighth, with two British finishers in the top 10.

The men’s 10k and half marathons were started by Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson MBE and Dame Kelly Holmes.

Eisa, 20, won the women’s 10 km race in 30:42.

Emily Sisson of America came in second place in 31:11, followed by Gotytom Gebreslase, a fellow Ethiopian.

Local athlete Josh Birmingham comfortably won the half marathon in one hour, six minutes, and 25 seconds, with Welshman Josh Griffiths in second and Simon Crawford in third.

Melissa Duncan, an Australian, took the women’s race in 1:16:27, with Brits Eden O’Dea and Bethan Lowe completing the podium.

Six-time Paralympic gold medalist David Weir won the men’s category in the elite wheelchair races, which are 10 km long, while Jade Hall, a female champion, won the women’s.