By Andrew Abah, Abuja
Kenya’s Shadrack Ngumbau has emerged the champion of the First edition of Premium Trust Bank Abuja City International Half Marathon.
With the performance, Ngumbau sets a new Half Marathon record of one hour, seven minutes and fifty eight seconds.
The 29 year old System Intergration Engineer at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, went home with a cash prize of five thousand dollars.
In second place was Nigeria’s Francis James, who set a new national record for men in the Half Marathon at one hour, 8 minutes and 2 seconds. His second place performance gave Nigeria the long awaited hope and inspiration that very soon, a Nigerian will win the full marathon race which had remained elusive to the country’s runners over the years.
Francis James went home with a cash prize of 3,000 dollars, and one million naira, which was the winner’s cash prize for the first Nigerian to cross the finish line.
In third place was Raticm Kenneth from South Sudan. Kenneth, emerged third place at a time of one hour, 8 minutes and 55 seconds.
He got the cash prize of 2,000 dollars.
In fourth place was another Nigerian, Gyang Emmanuel, whose performance reconfirmed Nigeria’s steady drive to end Kenyan’ dominance of marathon races on the African continent
by the east Africans. He got a cash prize of one thousand five hundred dollars.
Gyang Emmanuel, from Plateau state also finished as Nigeria’s second placed finisher to grab additional cash prize of N750,000.
Another Nigerian, Adamu Shehu, finished fifth place in the main race at one hour, eleven minutes eight seconds. He got a cash prize of one thousand dollars and a Nigerian male’s third prize of five hundred thousand naira.
In the women category, the foreign elite runners cleared the top three positions, with South Sudan’s Gaspore Atalona beating all runners to cross the finish line at one hour, 20 minutes 23 seconds. She set the new women’s race record. She also took home the champions’ cash prize of five thousand dollars.
Kenya’s Toofriada Lodefa finished second place in the women’s race at one hour 21 minutes, 37 seconds. She got a cash prize of 3,000 dollars.
In third place was Kenya’s Rotto Nancy Jebet crossing the finish line at one hour, 21 seconds, 58 seconds. She got a cash prize of 2 thousand dollars.
In fourth place was Nigeria’s Patience Daylop, who also emerged Nigeria’s first woman to cross the finish line. She got the Nigerian prize of One million naira and one thousand five hundred dollars in the international race.
In fifth place in the women’s race Yilmune Nichola. She emerged Nigeria’s second place finisher to get a cash prize of N750,000.
And in sixth place was Elizabeth Nuhu, who ran 1 hour 29 minutes and 16 seconds.
The presentation of prizes to the winners in the main race was done by the Senate President, Mr. Godswill Apkabio and the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Premium Trust Bank, Mr. Emmanuel Emefienim, in a series of elaborate victory ceremonies at the finish point, the Old Parade Ground, Garki, Abuja.
The Premium Trust Bank Abuja City International Half Marathon, organised by Nilayo Sports Management Limited, was on Friday described, by the FCT Director of Sports, Mr. Lucas Istafanus, as the first ever official Marathon held in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Another highlight of Saturday’s elaborate presentation ceremony was the Premuim Trust Bank official invitation of one of their Sports Ambassadors, Ese Brume, to the Old Parade Ground in Abuja.
