BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 3. I had previously won the half marathon in Baku, and once again here — at the Baku Marathon — I am very happy to have taken first place, said Turkish athlete Ahmet Alkanoglu, who was the first among men to cross the finish line at the “Baku Marathon 2026”, Trend reports.
“Today’s competition was a bit more difficult because we competed in very strong wind conditions,” he noted.
The athlete thanked everyone involved in organizing the event:
“Organizing a marathon is not easy. I thank my coaches, my family, and everyone who supported me. I also express my gratitude to the sponsors involved in the organization and to all sports fans in Azerbaijan.”
Alkanoglu added that competitions in various categories were held within the Baku Marathon, which is an integral part of the event.
“I came from Türkiye. I am happy to have raised the Turkish flag today.
I hope to achieve even better results in bigger marathons,” he concluded.
It should be noted that on May 3, at the “Baku Marathon 2026” organized on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Turkish athlete Ahmet Alkanoglu was the first among men to cross the finish line.
Ukrainian participant Vitaliy Shafar took second place, while Kyrgyz representative Yerskeldi Akerov finished third.
In the women’s category, Elena Tolstykh from Russia took first place, Anna Yusupova from Azerbaijan came second, and Shirin Akimbay from Kazakhstan placed third.
This year, the Baku Marathon was held for the first time on a full 42-kilometer course instead of the 21-kilometer distance, and 25,000 participants took part.