Ethiopian athletes Hayle Lemi and Lelisa Desisa, former champions of the Boston Marathon, are set to compete in the Tata Mumbai Marathon. Lemi, who won the 2016 Boston Marathon, is determined to defend his title and set a new course record. Despite being cautioned about the challenges of the Mumbai Marathon, Lemi cruised to victory last year and aims to use his experience to his advantage this time. Desisa, a two-time winner of the Boston Marathon, will be looking to avenge his loss to Lemi in 2016. The Ethiopian duo has a history of competing against each other, and Sunday’s race presents Desisa with an opportunity to return the favor. Another strong contender in the men’s category is Kinde Atanaw, who holds the fastest personal best time among the elite male runners in the field. Atanaw, who clocked an impressive time of 2:03:51 at the 2019 Valencia Marathon, will be making his debut in Mumbai. In the women’s category, Anchialem Haymanot, last year’s champion, is aiming to retain her title. Haymanot won the race on her maiden TMM appearance and also broke the previous course record that had stood for a decade. She comes to Mumbai with a new personal best time of 2:22:23, set at the Amsterdam Marathon. Sofia Assefa, another Ethiopian athlete, will also be competing in the women’s category. Assefa, a silver medalist in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2012 London Olympics, made her marathon debut in Amsterdam, finishing eighth with a time of 2:23:33. She is seen as a dark horse and a strong contender for the $50,000 winner’s purse. The Tata Mumbai Marathon is expected to showcase an exciting competition between top Ethiopian athletes and promises to be a thrilling event for participants and spectators alike.