BUDAPEST (AFP) - Amane Beriso Shankule beat defending champion and compatriot Gotytom Gebreslase to give Ethiopia their third women’s marathon title in the past five editions of the World Athletics Championships on Saturday.
The runners had to brave scorching and humid conditions in Budapest with temperatures hitting 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit) by the time the race finished.
However, conditions became even more challenging for the decathletes, female shot putters and spectators in the stadium.
Some revelled in it but others like decathlon overnight leader Leo Neugebauer of Germany wilted at the start of day two, the 23-year-old slipping to fourth after the first two events of the day.
Canada’s world silver medallist Pierce LePage topped the standings going into the morning’s final event, the pole vault.
Whoever prevails will be a new world champion as France’s titleholder Kevin Mayer withdrew with an injury on Friday.
Shankule, whose victory at last year’s Valencia marathon put her third on the world all-time list, timed 2hr 24min 23sec to win gold on the streets of the Hungarian capital.
Defending champion Gotytom Gebreslase claimed silver, 11sec behind, with Morocco’s Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi taking bronze in 2:25.17.