ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (April 16) — Abdi Bashir and Eunice Chumba were the runaway champions in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively, of the 2023 NN Marathon Rotterdam held on Sunday (16). The World Athletics Gold Label Road Race took place in almost ideal marathon weather conditions, despite the winds with cloudy skies over Rotterdam. Bashir clocked 2:03:48 to secure first place in the men’s category, while Chumba won the women’s contest with a time of 2:20:31.
Bashir, running at a steady pace throughout, picked up his speed in the closing stages of the race to cross the finish line champion, just shy of his personal best. Timothy Kiplagat of Kenya finished second with a time of 2:03:50, which was almost two minutes faster than his previous personal best. The Netherlands’ Olympic silver medalist, Abdi Nageeye, who needed a late surge to grab a podium spot, finished third with a time of 2:05:32.
“There was a strong wind, and the pacemakers didn’t do their job perfectly today either because there was a lot of variation in the pace,” Bashir was quoted by the Belgian website Sporza. “Everything I do now is in the context of the Paris Olympics.”
Eunice Chumba Takes 2023 NN Marathon Rotterdam Women’s Crown
Chumba from Bahrain took control in the women’s race before extending her lead over the rest of the competitors to win with a gap of over a minute. Tesfu Teklegergish Dolshi of Eritrea finished second with a time of 2:21:35, and Rose Chelimo, a Bahraini runner born in Kenya, secured third place with a time of 2:26:21.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s Dawit Wolde, who was sitting third in the men’s race before he was overtaken by Nageeye, finished fourth in his race, clocking 2:05:46, while Belgium’s Koen Naert achieved a personal best of 2:06:56, securing sixth place. Read more: Elite men get rare and special chance to race against Kipchoge at Boston Marathon – RRW
In the women’s contest, Spain’s Fatima Azzahraa Ouhaddou Nafie finished fourth with a time of 2:26:44, followed closely by Poland’s Aleksandra Lisowska with the same time.
The NN Marathon Rotterdam proved to be an exciting race for the elite runners, with Abdi Bashir and Eunice Chumba clinching the 2023 titles this year in almost ideal conditions for running under the cloudy skies over Rotterdam.
2023 NN Marathon Rotterdam
TOP 10 MEN’S RESULTS:
- Abdi Bashir (Belgium) – 2:03:48
- Timothy Kiplagat (Kenya) – 2:03:50
- Abdi Nageeye (Netherlands) – 2:05:32
- Dawit Wolde (Ethiopia) – 2:05:46
- Chala Regasa (Ethiopia) – 2:06:11
- Koen Naert (Belgium) – 2:06:56
- Asmare Bazezew (Ethiopia) – 2:07:58
- Abebe Negewo (Ethiopia) – 2:08:12
- Kenneth Kipkemoi (Kenya) – 2:08:15
- Cyrus Muati (Kenya) – 2:08:18
TOP 10 WOMEN’S RESULTS:
- Eunice Chumba (Bahrain) – 2:20:31
- Tesfu Teklegergish Dolshi (Eritrea) – 2:21:35
- Rose Chelimo (Bahrain) – 2:26:21
- Fatima Azzahraa Ouhaddou Nafie (Spain) – 2:26:44
- Aleksandra Lisowska (Poland) – 2:26:44
- Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) – 2:27:19
- Pascalia Jepkogei (Kenya) – 2:28:28
- Sakiho Tsutsui (Japan) – 2:29:09
- Meskerem Assefe Wondimagegn (Ethiopia) – 2:29:33
- Marie Perrie (France) – 2:29:45
