Accra-Ghana, Aug. 05, GNA – Koogo Atia and Lariba Sakat won gold in the 21km men and women races, respectively, in the second edition of the Accra Inter City Homowo Marathon held on Friday, August 4.
Atia, who won silver in the first edition, moved a step higher to clinch first position in the men’s race with an impressive time of 1:07.39 despite facing stiff competition.
Atia, who is also a final-year student at the University of Education, Winneba, beat off the challenge from Basit Afful (2nd) and Ishmael Arthur (3rd) to win the ultimate GHC10,000 cash prizes and would participate in the Soweto Marathon later in the year.
“I am delighted about my success in this year’s marathon after coming very close last year, and I thank the Almighty God for giving me the strength to finish the race successfully.
“I am already looking forward to the next challenge of competing on the international stage, and I have to prepare vigorously to make Ghana proud,” he said.
In the women’s category, one of Ghana’s finest long-distance runners, Lariba Sakat, dominated her race, edging her competitors Anaaba Portia (2nd) and Ramatu Abdulai (3rd) to win gold and a GHC 10,000 ultimate cash prize.
There were winners in the 5km, 10 km men’s and women’s races, as well as winners in the wheelchair race that took place for the first time at the marathon.
Mr. Henri Senyo Penni, the General Manager of Medivents Consult, the organisers of the marathon, expressed satisfaction with the turnout and said it exceeded their expectations.
“First of all, I want to congratulate the winners in various race categories, and we wish them luck in their future endeavours. We didn’t encounter any major difficulties, but we certainly must improve in some areas.
“To our sponsors, we are grateful for their partnership with our brand, and we look to continue in the future,” he said.
This year’s Accra Inter-City Homowo Marathon was organised in partnership with the Ga Traditional Council and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.
Sponsors of this year’s race include Allied Consortiums, HD Plus, G4S, Serene Insurance, mybet.africa.com, Happy FM, Harmony Haven, Aqua Blue Mineral Water, Indomie, and Dannex Aryton.
