Ethiopian runner Gudete wins and sets a new Belgrade Marathon record.

With victories by Ethiopian runners Gade Gemshise Gudeta in the men’s race and Edene Alemu Dadi in the women’s race over the 42.195 km distance, the 39th Powerade Belgrade Marathon came to a close. Gudeta also set a new record for Serbia’s largest sporting event.

On the new course, which was run for the first time this year, the Ethiopian reached the finish line at Republic Square in 2:09:11. The previous best result in the Serbian capital was set by Kenyan runner Japhet Kosgei in 2006, with a time of 2:10:54.

The Ethiopian made the decisive move between the 35th and 40th kilometer. Although he was nearly 20 seconds behind the Kenyan Erot at the 35 km mark, he managed to catch up, open a 15-second gap, and secure a valuable victory.
A remarkable achievement came from Dario Ivanovski of North Macedonia, who also overtook Erot in the closing stages and finished second with a time of 2:09:35. Erot finished in third place with a time of 2:09:55.

Đuro Borbelj was the fastest among the Serbian competitors and once again claimed the national marathon title. In the overall standings, he finished in 11th place with a time of 2:32:44.

In the women’s race, Alemu Dadi, like Gudeta, broke away from her rivals between the 35th and 40th kilometer. She won with a time of 2:30:21. She did not manage to surpass the course record set by Romania’s Kristina Pomacu, who finished in 2:29:44 back in 2001.
Kenya’s Ruth Chepkœch finished second with 2:31:07, while the bronze medal went to her compatriot Caroline Chebichi with a time of 2:32:28.

The marathon race brought the two-day spectacle in Belgrade to a close. On the first day, Kenya’s Francis Abong Kumwa and Valentina Jephet set new course records in the half marathon. Kumwa finished in 1:00:47, while Jephet clocked 1:10:47.
The winners of the 10-kilometer race were Russia’s Yuri Kotov (30:52) and Serbia’s Teodora Simović (35:44).

More than 14,500 participants—4,500 of them international runners from as many as 79 countries—ran through the streets of our capital. This year’s Belgrade Marathon also served as a successful test event and a general rehearsal for the European Running Championships over 10, 21, and 42 kilometers, which Belgrade will host in 2027, marking the major jubilee of the Belgrade Marathon—its 40th anniversary.