Moroccan Runner Wins Sydney Marathon, Honors Earthquake Victims

Othmane El Goumri won the Sydney Marathon in the men’s event, while American Betsy Saina of Kenyan origin won in the women’s event. The Moroccan athlete won under stifling heat, in 2:08:20, without beating the competition record, ahead of Kenyan Laban Korir and Ethiopian Getaneh Molla, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. His first marathon since the one in Dublin in 2019. El Goumri wore a black armband during the race to pay tribute to the thousands of victims of the powerful earthquake that struck Morocco on the night of Friday, September 8 to Saturday.

Deeply affected by this deadly earthquake, the 31-year-old runner had almost given up the marathon. "It affected him because it’s his country and he has relatives who were affected by the earthquake that just happened in Morocco. [...] At one point, he didn’t think he was going to make the trip to Sydney. But at the last minute, he decided to come, and throughout the race he thought of all the people in Morocco and this victory is for them," said an interpreter who translated the Moroccan athlete’s remarks.

The race was not easy for El Goumri due to scorching heat. "At the beginning he was doing well, but in the last 10 kilometers he felt the heat and was having trouble breathing," the interpreter explained. "He obviously feels very tired, it’s a marathon and the course is quite difficult. But for now he feels good because he won the victory."