Kenya's Kipchumba and Ethiopia's Desta secure Amsterdam Marathon victories

AMSTERDAM, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Geoffrey Kipchumba shattered the course record to win the men's race at the 50th Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday, while Ethiopia's 21-year-old Aynalem Desta claimed the women's title in a personal best.

The 25-year-old Kenyan, racing in a field that included Joshua Cheptegei, the Ugandan who won the 10,000 meters at the Paris Olympics, broke away after 33 kilometers to win in 2:03:30, taking nine seconds off the previous course record set by Tamirat Tola, the Paris Olympic marathon champion, who ran 2:03:39 in 2021.

"I am very happy. I felt strong and I thought, let me push," a relaxed Kipchumba said after the race. "I was hoping for 2:04, this is a little bit faster."

Tsegaye Getachew of Ethiopia finished second in 2:04:18, with Getaneh Molla one second behind in third.

The women's race remained tight until the final stages, with six Ethiopian athletes in contention at the 30-kilometer mark, and Desta proved the strongest to win in 2:17:37. Bertukan Welde also set a personal best of 2:17:56 for second place, while Mekides Shimeles took third in 2:19:56.

The event also hosted the Dutch national marathon championships. Khalid Choukoud won his fourth national title in 2:07:59, and Anne Luijten won the women's national title in 2:28:28.

The 2026 edition of the Amsterdam Marathon is scheduled for Oct. 25. ■