With international participation, the first Damascus International Marathon concluded in an atmosphere of enthusiasm

Damascus (ST): Before sunrise in the sky of Damascus today, the first international marathon kicked off with the participation of runners from 15 countries, amid a high atmosphere of enthusiasm, to conclude after about four hours of strong competition.

The marathon, which was organized by the Syrian Olympic Committee in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, reached a length of 42,195 km, and the starting point was in front of the (Dama Rose) Hotel.

The winners in the first three places were on a date with Syrian sports fans, as marathon lovers gathered to receive them in an encouraging atmosphere. Syrian runner Samer Al-Samir won the 42 km race stage in 3.11 hours, leaving the runner-up to the Swiss Alexander Sheers with a time of 3.22 hours, followed by the Polish Piotr Bojka with 3.29 hours, while the American sprinter Sarah Paul won the female category for this stage, recording a time of 4.5 hours.

In the 10 km race, the Syrian runners Suleiman Assi and Ruqayya Mahmoud were in first place in the men’s and women’s categories, while the 21 km race stage ended with the victory of Syrian runners Haider Al-Qadi, Ghaith Al-Hajj Hussein and Ahmed Hilweh in the first three places, respectively.

In a statement, the Vice-President of the General Sports Federation, Omar Al-Aroub, said: “The marathon is the first to be held at this level, with wide international participation, and it is a message that Syria is a country of love and peace, and is always able to organize sports events at the international level,” noting that the participants had previously run many international marathons, and came to Syria to complete their credit of these marathons.”

K.Q.