Ouagadougou: Ghanaian athlete David Nakousi and Beninese athlete Colette Ayad© emerged victorious in the 8th edition of the BF1 Interchange Marathon, held on Sunday in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The race, which covered a distance of 42.195 km, saw Nakousi and Ayad© clinch the top spots in the men's and women's categories, respectively.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the marathon, which began at 5 a.m., was marked by a fast pace from the outset. David Nakousi maintained a strong lead alongside his compatriot Freepong Kwabena for the majority of the race. Nakousi managed to distance himself from Kwabena by more than three minutes with just 10 km remaining, ultimately finishing with a record time of 2 hours, 21 minutes, and 29 seconds. Notably, this was Nakousi's first participation in the BF1 Interchange Marathon. Expressing his motivation, Nakousi stated, "I discovered the Interchange Marathon on social media and came to try my luck."
The men's race saw a Ghanaian trio finishing before the first Burkinabe athlete, Fid¨le Tankoano, crossed the line. This group included Nakousi, Kwabena, and Ishma«l Fialor. Ghana has now claimed victory in four of the eight editions of the marathon. Nakousi earned 1 million CFA francs, a gold medal, a trophy, and gifts from the race's partners, while the second-place finisher received 500,000 CFA francs and a silver medal.
In the women's category, Colette Ayad© from Benin delivered an impressive performance, securing her win with a time of 2 hours, 54 minutes, and 3 seconds. Her victory earned her 500,000 FCFA, a trophy, a gold medal, and promotional items.
The marathon also featured a 10 km race, where police trainee Abdoulaye Aziz Boly emerged as the fastest with a time of 30 minutes and 58 seconds. In the women's division of the same distance, Marie Aude Sabou© finished first in 39 minutes and 6.02 seconds.
A total of 502 athletes from 11 countries participated in the event. BF1's Managing Director, Issoufou Sar©, expressed satisfaction with the turnout, stating, "The theme of this race is sport and road safety. We used this marathon to raise awareness about the importance of observing road safety rules."
The marathon's activities commenced on Friday, June 26th, with the inauguration of the Marathon Village, featuring artist performances, fairs, and exhibitions. The following day, a 5 km fun run and aerobics session took place. The event organizers look forward to welcoming participants to the 9th edition next year.