Despite narrowly missing out on breaking his race record on Sunday, Cape Town Marathon champion Stephen Mokoka said he was delighted to win in challenging conditions.
In a 42.2km race that featured over 13 000 athletes, Mokoka clinched his third Cape Town Marathon win on a hot and humid day in the Mother City.
The Olympian crossed the finish line at the time of 2:09:58 and walked away with R250 000 for his victory.
“I’m grateful, it means a lot to me, winning again and defending my title. It’s great to say that I’ve won the Cape Town Marathon three times now,” Mokoka told Sport24 after his win.
“Today was a tough day, a tough course, but we always knew that. But I enjoyed it, especially seeing the support out there. It was an amazing experience.
“I hope that in the next few years, it can be an event that South Africans can tick off the box and make it a big event in Africa. It’s great to see so many people support athletics and take part in this event. Hopefully, it’ll get bigger and better.”
Mokoka, who represents Boxer Athletic Club, finished a minute and 28 seconds ahead of second-placed Deresh Kindie Kassie from Ethiopia.
He came within 1 minute and 27 seconds from breaking the Cape Town Marathon record he set in 2018, but Mokoka, who missed out on the Commonwealth Games due to injury, was delighted to finish the year on a high.
“Titles remain forever, but records are meant to be broken. Winning a title is important, everyone will know,” said Mokoka. “This initiative will be great for Africa. A marathon is not about running fast.
“Some want to be the greatest of all time, but to be decorated, you have to win titles, not run fast.”
Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix