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Defending champion Kassim Mohammed yesterday put up an amazing performance to retain his title as the winner of 28th edition of the Accra Milo Marathon. The 31-year-old crossed the finishing line of the 42.2km race in two hours, 20 minutes to walk away with the GH�15,000 prize at stake aside a trophy and souvenirs from Milo. Speaking to the �Times Sports� after the race,Kassim stated that his exploit was due to hard work and determination over the years. He stated that, after restoring glory for Ghanaians in 2013 after a foreigner stole the show the previous year, he was determined to retain the trophy to give hope to Ghanaians. �I trained very hard in Ghana and had to go outside the country at a point to get me prepared for the race and I was confident ahead of the race�,he states. He added that, he kept his composure throughout the race and did not fear any competition despite the great talents he came up against on the day. �I have invested a lot in the race and would urge organisers to invest in me so I could win laurels at the international stage�,he stressed. He was followed by Joseph Yandal from the Ghana Police Service for the second position while Malik Yakubu from the Ashanti Region came third. Yandal and Yakubu went home with GH�5,000 and GH�3,000 respectively as well as attractive products from Milo. Meanwhile four-time winner and favourite,Godwin Adukpo settled for the 10th position. There was another upset in the women�s event as Lariba Sadat from the Upper East Region stole the show from usual performers Milicent Boadi and Elizabeth Bortsor to win the event. Boadi and Bortsor also settled for the second and third positions respectively and hope to return to stage a fight against the prodigy. The Under-15 category was won by 14-year-old Otoo David and was followed by Koogo Atia and Gati Elvis for the second and third positions in that order. The Mass Sports category started from the Nungua Barrier through the principal streets of Accra and ended at the Dansoman Keep Fit Club for the closing ceremony. An unprecedented number of people also participated in the 5km fun race where every participant won a pair of shoes each for an underprivileged child in society. About 4,000 pairs of shoes will be given to children following this year�s event according to Managing Director of Nestle Ghana,Freda Duplan. Guest speaker,Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Afotey Agbo also urged corporate entities to follow the steps of Nestle and invest in sports.