Selemon Barega and Medina Eisa won the men’s and women’s eventsThe start of the men’s elite race (Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)

Ethiopian stars dominated the men’s and women’s elite 10k race at this year’s Great Manchester Run.

Selemon Barega, the Olympic 10,000m Gold medallist at Tokyo in 2020 and the 2022 World Indoor Champion, claimed the top spot in the men’s race. His mind bogglingly quick time of 27 minutes and 49 seconds was just three seconds ahead of Uruguayan Santiago Catrofe, who came in second place.

Ahead of the race, Selemon, who was competing in his first Great Manchester Run, said: “This is actually my first 10k road race outside of Ethiopia, which is actually quite hard to believe. I’ve competed all over the world over 10,000m on the track but it’s strange to think that this is my debut on the roads outside of home. I’m excited to compete in Manchester in such a big race with a great history.”

In third place was Kenyan star Vincent Ngetich, who won last year’s event by setting a personal best of 27 mins and 25 seconds. This year he posted a very credible time of 27 minutes and 58 seconds.

Ethiopian Medina Eisa won the women’s 10k race. Medina, who has ran the fastest time in world this year, posting a time of 29 mins and 25 seconds in Spain, ran the course in 30 minutes and 42 seconds today.

In second place was American Emily Sisson, and in third was Ethopian Gotytom Gebreslase, who won last year’s race with a personal best time of 30 minutes and 32 seconds. She finished today’s race in a time of 31 minutes and 11 seconds.

Elite female athletes begin(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)

British Paralympic star David Weir won the wheelchair 10k race with a time of 21 minutes and 19 seconds, earning his sixth Great Manchester Run crown. Finishing in second place was Spaniard Rafael Botello Jimenez, and in third was Briton Simon Lawson.

In the women’s wheelchair 10k race, British star Jade Hall came first to secure her second Great Manchester Run victory, after winning in 2023.

Wheelchair athletes take on the course(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)

Claudia Burrough and Joanna Robertson came second and third. Josh Birmingham won the men’s half marathon race and Melissa Duncan won the women’s event.

Sir Brendan Foster, president of The Great Run Company, said: “Year after year The Great Manchester Run proudly welcomes world class athletes from across the globe. Manchester is a city steeped in sporting heritage, with some of the world’s most prolific sports fans calling the city home so it’s no surprise that the world’s fastest runners return to its streets to compete and soak up the atmosphere.”