The South African athlete, Abednico Mashaba, was the big winner of the fourth edition of the Blue Race, held on Saturday, September 3, in Maputo, winning first place in the men's 21-kilometer category. 

In women's, Neviah Maganza from Zimbabwe was the first runner-up.

The half-marathon, organized by Standard Bank, with the technical assistance of the Maputo City Athletics Association, moved more than three thousand participants in four categories, namely 21, 15, 12 and 4 kilometers, the last one being for wheelchair users.

For the managing director of Standard Bank, Bernardo Aparício, this is, firstly, the celebration of 128 years of a historic bank in Mozambique. Secondly, the celebration of health, because the race aims to promote a healthy lifestyle.

"This race is intended to promote a healthier lifestyle. The intention is to promote a more out-of-doors lifestyle. After two years of Covid, it was important for all of us to feel that we can have a normal life again," he stressed.

Standard Bank, as he emphasized, intends to carry out more initiatives of this kind to continue to maintain health and well-being, serving all Mozambicans.

In his turn, the State Secretary for Sports, Carlos Gilberto Mendes, expressed his satisfaction with the number of people who joined the Blue Race, which, he said, shows that people are eager to get out of their homes and practice sports, thus taking care of their health.

"Standard Bank always innovates even when it comes to basic issues, such as taking care of the physical health, as well as the financial health of Mozambicans: If we persist with these actions, we will have the desired massification of athletics and, consequently, the quality and talents", he stressed.

Approached moments after crossing the finish line, Abednico Mashaba said he really enjoyed participating in the race: "Running 21 kilometers was not difficult for me. My peers didn't want to move forward. They were all looking at me, so I realized that I would win the race," he said.

For the South African athlete, the organization of the event was perfect, with the same standard as the South African races. It is one of the best races in Mozambique. "I feel excited, because the last time I participated I came second, and of course today I wanted to win. I did exactly as I planned, so I am very happy."

The Maputo City Athletics Association, through its vice-president, Gilberto Gomes, made a positive balance of the race for having exceeded expectations: It was a massive participation. In all the courses we verified a lot of emotion. After a two-year hiatus, people were eager to participate in this initiative again", he concluded.

It is important to highlight that, with a global prize of 290 thousand meticais, the Blue Race also involved the components of walking, zumba, as well as a health fair, where people could test for high blood pressure, do blood sugar tests, and donate blood.