India’s Sampathkumar finishes third in Salomon Cappadocia Short Trail Run

Indian ultra-runner Sampathkumar Subramanian secured a podium finish at the Salomon Cappadocia Short Trail Run held on October 16, 2021 in Turkey.

Sampathkumar finished third in the 38 km trail run with timing of three hours, 13 minutes and 54 seconds.

Salomon Cappadocia Short Trail is held along the hills and valleys of the Cappadocia region, a UNESCO world heritage site. Over a distance of 38 km, the run features a variation in altitude of 1120 meters.

The winner of the race was Oleksandr Chenikalo of Ukraine. He finished in 3:08:44. Yilmaz Tongul of Turkey finished second with timing of 3:11:33.

Kenya’s Rotich sets course record in men’s race at 2021 Paris Marathon

Elisha Rotich of Kenya set a course record in the men’s race at the 2021 edition of Paris Marathon, crossing the finish line in two hours, four minutes and 21 seconds on October 17, 2021. In the process, he broke Kenenisa Bekele’s course record of 2:05:04 and also achieved a personal best.

Ethiopia’s Tigist Memuye won the women’s race in 2:26:12.

The Paris Marathon was slated to be held in April this year but was rescheduled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Agnes Tirop death: Kenyan police allowed to hold her husband in custody for 20 days

A Kenyan court allowed the police to hold the husband of long-distance runner Agnes Tirop for 20 days in custody, on the suspicion of killing his wife.

The 25-year-old athlete – she was world record holder in the 10 kilometers women’s only event – was found stabbed to death at her home in Iten on October 13, 2021. The world record of 30:01 was set just weeks earlier in September.

Among the world’s most promising runners, she had won bronze medal in the 10,000 meters race at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. She finished fourth in the 5000 meters race at Tokyo Olympics. In 2018, she had set a course record for women at the 2018 TCS World 10K in Bengaluru.

Athletics Kenya issued a condolence note on the demise of the athlete.

(The author, Latha Venkatraman, is an independent journalist based in Mumbai.)