Stella Chesang’s stellar performance at Valencia Marathon

A glimpse of future global stars arrived at the 2024 Valencia Marathon, ready to showcase their athletic prowess on Sunday, November 1.

All the exciting prospects emerged victorious, completing a remarkable race that was both emotional and thrilling.

A total of 28,590 runners, including Uganda’s Stella Chesang, crossed the finish line on the boardwalk over the lake at the City of Arts and Sciences, which this year displayed the names of the 75 Valencian victims affected by the flood on October 29.

Stella Chesang finished second in the women’s race with a blistering time of 2:18:26, breaking her previous national record of 2:20:23, set in Hamburg, Germany, last year.

Ethiopian Megertu Alemu claimed the gold medal with a strong run of 2:16:49.

Ethiopia’s Tiruye Mesfin completed the podium, finishing third with a time of 2:18:35.

Behind Chesang’s impressive performance in Valencia is one of the most uplifting stories of the race. She arrived in Valencia after finishing 8th at the 2024 Paris Olympics, an underperformance by her standards.

Truthfully, with the exception of Peruth Chemutai, who became the first Ugandan woman to win back-to-back medals in any sport at the Olympics after securing silver in the 3000m steeplechase in Paris, the performance of Ugandan female athletes left much to be desired.

Chesang has long been a star in the making, consistently appearing among medal hopefuls for international track and field events. Her success is not just about her personality or willingness to exceed expectations but also her consistency and discipline over the years.

Marathon running is seemingly becoming her specialty, as evident at the 44th edition of the Valencia Marathon. Despite strong and powerful contestants, Chesang managed to hold them off and finish second, showcasing her determination and resilience.

Stella Chesang’s most notable achievement came in the women’s 10,000 meters at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia.

There are hugely positive signs for more podium finishes and records to be set by Stella Chesang.