Paris ( Imran Y. CHOUDHRY):- Full of color, energy, and unforgettable moments in the biggest marathon on Earth. The Paris Marathon 2025 saw an immense sea of runners descend upon the world’s most beautiful avenue Champs-Elysees in the French capital and broke the world record, with 56,950 participants completing the course. That’s almost 1,000 more finishers than the London Marathon.

Only a month ago, we heard the news that the London Marathon was aspiring to become the largest marathon held anywhere in the world, ever. To surpass the existing world record of 55,646 finishers, set by the New York City Marathon in November 2024.

Runners set off from the legendary Champs-Élysées, marking the start of a spectacular route through Paris. Despite the somewhat gloomy weather, the route offered a real immersion in the heart of the capital , passing through such iconic landmarks as the Place de la Concorde, theOpéra Garnier and the Place de la Bastille.
The peloton continued towards the Bois de Vincennes, bringing a breath of nature to this urban route. It was here that they discovered the only new feature of the edition: a passage through the Nation district, recently added to the route.
At the end of the race, participants skirted the Seine to greet the majestic Eiffel Tower, before concluding their effort in style onAvenue Foch, the traditional finishing point of the Paris marathon.

According to the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon, just over half of the participants were first-time marathon runners. This alone shows the growing appeal of the 42.195-km distance across nations, with a 33% of the finisher field comprising international runners. More women are now running the Paris Marathon, Just under a third of finishers 31% in 2025 were women, which is up from 28% in 2024 and 26% in 2023.

African runners once again dominated the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris. Nine men reached km 30 in the lead group, but the Kenyan Benard Biwott, a few weeks shy of his 23rd birthday, unleashed a devastating acceleration at km 33 that blew the group to smithereens. He opened up a decisive gap in no time and cruised home in 2:05:25, just 54 seconds off the course record still held by fellow Kenyan Elisha Rotich, who had to settle for twelfth this time in 2025. “I’m really happy with the win”, beamed the victor. “I pushed hard all the way and I’m really pleased with my time. It was very tough, but I gave it everything I had.” He succeeded the Ethiopian Mulugeta Uma as champion and delivered the sixteenth win for Kenya in the streets of Paris. The Djiboutian Ibrahim Hassan put in a stellar run to take second in 2:06:13, with another Kenyan, Sila Kiptoo rounding out the podium in 2:06:21.

On the French side, Hassan Chahdi, 20th at the last Olympic Games, spent a long time in the lead group, only to throw in the towel shortly after the halfway points. Jason Pointeau was the best French performer in fifteenth place. His time of 2:13:36 put him just ahead of Florian Caro and Yohan Durand. “Being the top French runner means a lot to me”, said Pointeau. “It wasn’t even on my radar because Hassan Chahdi was on the start list. I was hoping to be the top French entrant… after him. I deduced from the cheers of the crowds that I was in that position, so I held on to that thought. I felt rubbish from the first couple of strides. I told myself I had to hang on in there. In the end, the last 15 K were not that bad. I’m pleased because I managed to finish on a high note.”

After a cautious first half of the women’s race, four runners broke free going into the final 10 kilometres. On the run-in towards Avenue Foch, the Ethiopian Bedatu Hirpa —who will soon turn 25 and took the Dubai Marathon in a personal best of 2:18:27 back in January, fellow Ethiopian Dera Dida, to cross the finish line with a time of 2:20:45 and secure the second Ethiopian triumph in Paris. She succeeded her countrywoman Mestawut Fikir. “I roared as I went over the finish line because I really wanted to win the Marathon de Paris. I was over the moon and wanted to express just how happy I was. It was a tough race, but victory washes away the suffering.” Dera Dida was the best of the rest at 4 seconds. The Kenyan Angela Tanui (2:21:07) took the bottom step of the podium. After flirting with the course record (2:19:48, set in 2022 by the Kenyan Judith Keptum, eighth today) for most of the race, the lead group faded somewhat in the final kilometres. Loréna Meningand’s metronomic consistency made her the top French runner, twelfth overall with a time of 2:36:33.

Photos @ Imran Y. CHOUDHRY

As Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 unfolds, all eyes are on MS Dhoni who continues to command superstar status in Indian cricket despite retiring from the international game in 2020.

Dhoni continues to be a key figure in the world’s richest cricket league.

Alongside him are veterans like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah, and emerging stars like Shubman Gill, Yashaswi Jaiswal, and Rishabh Pant. They are among the players who led India to two ICC titles in the past nine months – the T20 World Cup in June and the Champions Trophy last month.

Yet it is Dhoni who still commands unrivalled attention, with his leadership and presence in the league continuing to captivate fans.

The cricketer, who turns 44 in July, is playing his 18th straight IPL season, 16 of these representing Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He is the oldest player in the tournament this year, though not the oldest to have played in the IPL.

Australian spin bowler Brad Hogg was 45 years and 92 days old when he last played in the IPL in 2016, representing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Leg-spinner Pravin Tambe, the oldest debutant at 41 years and 212 days for Rajasthan Royals, played his final match in 2019 at 44 years and 219 days, capping an astonishing career.

Whether Dhoni will surpass Tambe and Hogg remains to be seen. Three seasons ago, when he gave up the CSK captaincy, his retirement seemed imminent. Last year, his infrequent appearances suggested the same. However, CSK used the retention clause in the IPL mega-auction to keep Dhoni for the 2025 season as an uncapped player, given his five-year absence from international cricket.

In 18 IPL seasons, Dhoni has scored 5,243 runs, placing him sixth on the all-time run list, currently topped by Kohli.

His career batting average of 39.12 is higher than both Rohit Sharma and Kohli, and trails only David Warner (40.52) and AB de Villiers (39.70) among players with more than 5,000 runs in the league.

Among players with over 5,000 runs, Dhoni’s strike rate of 137.53 ranks behind only de Villiers (151.68) and Warner (139.77).

In sixes, Dhoni (252) trails only Gayle (357), Sharma (280) and Kohli (272).

These batting stats highlight just one aspect of Dhoni’s prowess. As a wicketkeeper, he boasts 180 dismissals (141 catches, 39 stumpings), a record unmatched by anyone. His quick reflexes and deft glovework earned him the nickname “pickpocket” from former Indian coach Ravi Shastri.

The “helicopter shot”, a flick-drive played over mid-wicket with a wrist-flex of the bottom hand, became the signature stroke of his batting brilliance.

The other notable aspect of his batting was his ability to control the match, taking the innings deep, virtually to the end, with a remarkable control of nerves, and interspersed with explosive strokes. He also ran like a hare between wickets, making him India’s best match-winner in his prime years.

Dhoni holds the record for most IPL matches as captain (210) and most wins (123), leading CSK to five IPL titles and two Champions League titles.

He also captained India to three ICC titles: the T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011) and Champions Trophy (2013).

Additionally, his impact in Test cricket is immense, having played 90 Tests and guiding India to the No1 ICC ranking before his sudden retirement mid-series in 2014-15.

Former Indian captains Sunil Gavaskar and Shastri have frequently hailed him as India’s finest cricketer ever. While this is open to debate, that Dhoni belongs to the same cluster as Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev is now widely acknowledged.

So what does the current season hold for him?

Advancing age has taken a physical toll on Dhoni, though he remains mentally tough and highly competitive. Last season, he stepped away from his finisher role, which he’d held since the league’s inception, and adapted his approach to provide valuable cameos that could impact the outcome.

With the impact player rule – which allows teams to pick an extra specialist batter or bowler based on the game situation – now an integral part of the IPL, Dhoni could well settle into this role, while continuing to be a sounding board for the captain and mentor to the squad in a non-designated informal manner.

For CSK, keeping Dhoni in the squad is a no-brainer. His appeal extends beyond CSK fans, offering massive commercial and branding benefits to both the franchise and the IPL. As CSK puts it, an IPL without Dhoni is “unthinkable”.

This may limit opportunities for young players, both Indian and overseas, but Ravi Shastri dismisses this argument. “The league operates on free-market dynamics. Franchise owners aren’t sentimental – they know what’s best for them, on and off the field,” he says.

Meanwhile, former India opener Robin Uthappa, who played under Dhoni for both India and CSK, warns rivals: “Write off Dhoni at your own risk. We could still see some old magic.”

Taken From BBC News

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y2z448e8xo