The 2016 Boston Marathon winner claims victory in Czech capital, while Bedatu Hirpa makes it a double Ethiopian win

Lemi Berhanu Hayle turned back the clock to win the Prague International Marathon.

The 29-year-old Ethiopian had a meteoric rise in the sport eight years ago, after recording a personal best of 2:04:33 in Dubai, triumphing at the Boston Marathon and then representing his country over the marathon at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Hayle, who also finished fourth at the 2019 New York Marathon, clocked 2:08:44 in the Czech capital and won by one minute and 44 seconds.

Part of a leading pack of seven athletes, Hayle went through 10km in 29:50 and then half-way in 63:19. It was after this that the Ethiopian made his move and by 30km had dropped his rivals, including Kenyan Kiprono Kipkemboi.

There was no way back for them. Hayle ploughed on and arms aloft in Pragues Old Town Square, recorded a 2:08:44 run.

In doing so, Hayle maintained his 100% record over 26.2 miles this season, after victory at the Mumbai Marathon on January 21.

Bedatu Hirpa made it an Ethopian double in the Czech capital.

A fifth placer from the 2019 Tokyo Marathon, Hirpa is a marathon specialist and went into Prague with a win at the Riyadh Marathon on February 10.

She has a track background though and in 2015 was the world U18 15000m champion nine years ago.

The 25-year-old went through 10km in a leading group of four athletes in 33:39. That was down to three at the half-way stage as Hirpa, Dorcas Tuitoek and Shewarge Alene recorded a mark of 71:52, with the trio battling it out for the lead.

Similarly in the mens race, Hirpa made her move around the 30km mark. Shed established a nine second gap before extending it to 39 seconds at 35km.

By the time that Hirpa had entered the Old Town Square, victory was a foregone conclusion and she won by one minute and nine seconds.

Prague International Marathon mens podium

Lemi Berhanu Hayle 2:08:44
Kiprono Kipkemoi 2:10:28
Joshua Kogo 2:10:51

@TimAdams76 pic.twitter.com/3CCWYX4GU0

AW (@AthleticsWeekly) May 5, 2024

Both Hayle and Hirpa were presented with their trophies on a picturesque podium in front of Pragues National Gallery.

Due to wind impacting athletes as they ran down past the river Vltava, the course records of Alexander Mutiso (2:05:09 2023) and Lonah Salpeter (2:19:46 2019) werent threatened.

The Prague International Marathon was founded back in 1995 by Carlo Capalbo, alongside 1988 Olympic mens marathon champion Gelindo Bordin and quadruple Olympic gold medallist Emil Zátopek.

Zátopek, nicknamed the Czech Locomotive, is one of the countrys greatest ever athletes. He is best known for being the only person in history to claim three Olympic gold medals over the 5000m, 10,000m and the marathon in the same Games, at Helsinki 1952.

Mr Zátopek decided to draw the course for the Prague International Marathon on a napkin. The rest is history.

The story of how the Prague International Marathon was created in 1995 in an interview with founder Carlo Capalbo

Athletes in this years edition can get Olympic pic.twitter.com/4PWTScD6A3

AW (@AthleticsWeekly) May 4, 2024

In a recent interview with AW, Capalbo stated that Zátopek drew the course for the Prague International Marathon on a napkin.

The event has become one of Europes fastest-growing road races, courtesy of organisers RunCzech, and has come a long way since it started out in 1995.

One of the biggest unique selling points of the event is its ability to create a competition for both the elites and the masses.

Known as Battle of the Teams, the idea is that both masses and elites are split into teams. It means that the placing of every runner matters.

This years four teams were: Team Mattoni, Team Prague Airport, Team Turkish Airlines and Team Volkswagen.

The IOC had also extended the qualification period for the Olympic marathon past the April 30 date, to include the Prague International Marathon.

It meant that runners from a multitude of continents flocked to the Czech Republic.

You can watch back the Prague International Marathon on the RunCzech Youtube channel.