20 runners qualify for upcoming Dili International Marathon after selection race

DILI, 09 May 2026 (TATOLI) — Twenty runners qualified for the Dili International Marathon after securing places on Timor-Leste’s national team in a competitive selection race held on Saturday.

More than 260 runners competed in the national pre-qualification race, completing a 21-kilometre course from the Presidential Palace in Dili to Cristo Rei and back. The top 20 finishers — 10 men and 10 women — secured places on the national team for the Aug. 8 marathon.

Athletes from the high-altitude region of Gleno (Ermera) dominated the competition, securing the top spots in both the male and female categories.

In the men’s category, brothers Jaqueu de Deus and Felisberto de Deus, both from Ermera municipality, finished first and second respectively, while Joanito Fernandes placed third.

In the women’s division, Angela F.D.F. Araújo claimed first place, followed by Abita de Deus in second and Joana Cardozo da Silva in third.

The selection event was organised jointly by the Timor-Leste government, the Presidency and development partners.

These elite performances validate the Presidency’s strategic vision to leverage Timor-Leste’s unique mountainous geography to develop world-class athletes capable of competing on the global stage.

At the closing ceremony, President of the Republic Jose Ramos-Horta personally congratulated the winners and announced a rigorous high-performance plan.

The Top 10 finishers from each category, plus two reserves for each gender (24 athletes in total), will be sent to a residential “quarantine” at the Gleno Training Centre. This intensive camp is designed to replicate the successful training models of global powerhouses like Kenya and Ethiopia, ensuring that these selected athletes reach their peak physiological potential before facing international competition in the main marathon this August.

Afrânio Xavier Amaral, president of the Athletics Federation of Timor-Leste (FPTL), said the qualifying race was designed to identify the country’s strongest runners ahead of the international competition.

“More than 260 athletes competed in today’s half-marathon selection, but only the top 20 qualified to represent Timor-Leste at the Dili International Marathon,” Amaral told reporters at the Presidential Palace.

Henriqueta Maria da Silva, chief of staff of the Presidency of the Republic, said athletes would receive accommodation, nutrition support and mountain training in Aileu and Maubisse to improve fitness and stamina before the August event.

NATIONAL SELECTION: OFFICIAL TOP 10 RESULTS

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