The 46th Istanbul Marathon, the world’s only long-distance race that traverses two continents, was held Sunday.

Ethiopian athlete Dejene Debela won the men's event while Bahraini athlete Ruth Jebet clinched the women’s crown.

The 42-kilometer marathon, a World Athletics Association "Gold Label" race, started from Istanbul’s Asian side and ended on the European side.

Debela came first in the men's category with a timing of 2 hours 11 minutes and 40 seconds.

He was followed by Kenyan Matthew Samperu with a time of 2:11.55. Kenneth Kiprop Kipkemoi, also from Kenya and one of the pre-race favorites, came in third with a time of 2:12.07.

Meanwhile, Bahraini athlete Ruth Jebet came first in the elite women's category.

Jebet came in first among women in the marathon with a timing of 2:24.45. Ethiopian athlete Erge Diro came in second with a time of 2:33.37 and Ayantu Abdi came in third with a time of 2:33.49.

Turkish Can in Men’s Top 10

National athlete Hüseyin Can finished the marathon in sixth place, completing the men’s race in 2:14.34.

He became the only Turkish athlete to place in the Top 10 in the elite men's category.

Ömer Alkanoğlu came in second among Turkish athletes and 11th in the overall ranking with a time of 2:20.43.

Halil Yaşın finished the race in third place among Turks and 12th in the overall ranking with a time of 2:23.43.

Wheelchair, mini marathon

Wheelchair and 15-kilometer races were also held as part of the event.

In the wheelchair category, Ömer Cantay came first in the men's category with a time of 2:40.05, and Zübeyde Süpürgeci came first in the women's category with a time of 2:51.42.

Abdullah Tuğluk finished the men's 15-kilometer race in first place with a time of 48 minutes 41 seconds, while Argentina Valdepenas Cerna from Mexico came first in the women's race with a time of 56:31.