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One of the fastest men on earth, Sisay Lemma is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He began running at the age of 17 and competed barefoot during his younger days due to a lack of running shoes.
Lemma’s international debut came over a decade ago in 2012 at the Maratona d'Italia. Running in Italy, he clocked a 2:11.58 for the win and followed it up with a win at the Orlen Warsaw Marathon just six months later.
2015 saw the Ethiopian win the Vienna City and Frankfurt Marathons, the latter of which saw him set a personal best of 2:06.26 en route to the gold.
While 2016 saw him improve his personal best to a 2:05.16, Sisay Lemma was forced to end the year winless, a streak that continued into the next year.
In 2018, the 33-year-old won the Ljubljana Marathon, setting a new course record of 2:04:58. A few years later, Lemma laid claim to his first major marathon title, clinching gold at the 2021 London Marathon with a time of 2:04.01.
Two years later, the Ethiopian solidified his name in history when he clocked a 2:01:48 at the 2023 Valencia Marathon, becoming only the fourth man to dip under the 2:02.00 mark.
Sisay Lemma conquers the Boston Marathon
While Sisay Lemma is one of the fastest men on the planet, the course of the Boston Marathon has always proved to be a tricky challenge for the Ethiopian.
He made his debut in Massachusetts in 2017 but was unable to make it to the finish line. Two years later, Lemma was finally able to complete the Boston Marathon but placed a disappointing 30th. 2022 marked another DNF in the race for the 33-year-old.
However, Lemma has finally conquered the challenges presented to him by the streets of Boston. Competing against the old rivals Evans Chebet and Gabriel Gaey yesterday, the runner finally stormed to the top of the podium.
Lemma led the race from the beginning, and despite his lead thinning near the end, he still finished with plenty of time between him and silver medalist Mohammed Esa. The Ethiopian clocked a 2:06.17 for his win, with Esa in second at 2:06:58, and Chebet in third at a 02:07:22.
Sisay Lemma will forego the London Marathon 2024 happening later this month and will now be focusing his preparations on the upcoming Paris Olympics.
