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Ethiopian Hawi Feysa retained her Chicago Marathon crown in a heavyweight clash with Kenya's Sharon Lokedi on Sunday, breaking the tape in two hours, 13 minutes and 33 seconds, while Kenya's Amos Kipruto dominated the men's race in 2:01:09.The back-to-back Boston winner Lokedi (2:14:07) battled with Feysa through much of the final six miles of the course but could not hang on as the Ethiopian slammed her foot on the gas in the final mile.Kenya's Brigid Kosgei was third in 2:14:55.Lokedi and Feysa pulled away from the lead pack around the 30-kilometre mark, taking advantage of pristine conditions on the famously speedy course, before engaging in a tense cat-and-mouse battle that saw them trade the lead on multiple occasions from there.Feysa, who picked up her second bronze finish in Tokyo earlier this year, crumpled after crossing the line, telling a TV reporter she was "elated" with her successful title defence."It certainly became quite a battle (around 33 kilometres)," she said via a translator. "Around 35k I became pretty sure I had this in the bag."Kipruto exacted revenge in the men's race after his second-place finish a year ago, adding another marathon major title following his London win four years ago.Kipruto finished 91 seconds behind Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo in 2025 but flipped the script this time around, running all by himself through the final straight after a tactically flawless performance.Ethiopian Tadese Bikila crossed the line in 2:02:56 while his compatriot Milkesa Mengesha (2:03:46) was third.Kipruto and Kiplimo (2:04:18) were leading the field by 16 seconds at 30-kilometre mark but the Ugandan fell off the pace shortly after, slipping to fourth as the Kenya cruised through much of the last chunk of the course alone."I was here to fight," said Kipruto. Everything is all about the mindset. It was a tough field but I set my mind on it, I said 'Let's go.'"Switzerland's Catherine Debrunner shattered her own women's wheelchair world record, breaking the tape in 1:33:16 to knock a minute off the previous mark she set in Berlin three years ago. Her compatriot Marcel Hug collected his seventh Chicago Marathon win in the men's wheelchair race in a course record 1:21:34."The crowd definitely helped me so much," said Debrunner. "I'm pretty speechless, to be honest, I had no expected to make a world record here at all." 

Qatar has strengthened its role in Middle East space market with $220mn civil space investments and expected to grow 5% annually through 2033, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG)."Qatar, alongside the UAE and Saudi Arabia, represents the core of the region’s civil space investments, each contributing actively to the Gulf Cooperation Council's or GCC’s emergence as a hub for space innovation and ambition," BCG said in its latest report.Qatar, with a $220mn investment in civil space activities for 2024, contributes around 5% of the market today and holds just under 5% downstream services market share, strengthening the GCC’s collective leadership and offering a strong foundation for future growth, it said.Downstream refers to ongoing operations and services, while upstream includes spacecraft design and manufacturing, launch facilities, and ground operations. Downstream markets are increasingly merging with the digital industry, adopting technologies like AI (artificial intelligence) and cloud computing for efficient mass data collection and processing.The UAE has demonstrated a strategic commitment to space, with $443mn invested in civil space in 2024, corresponding to approximately 40–45% of government spending across the MEA (Middle East and Africa) region, whose space market is valued at $18bn.The UAE is positioned to capture more than 50% of the region’s downstream services market share, including satellite communications and earth observation, according to BCG.Saudi Arabia, with a comparable $220mn investment in 2024, accounts for an estimated 20–25% share of government space spending in the region and is expected to hold more than 20% of the regional downstream services market"All three markets are projected to grow at or above the global space economy compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% through 2033, underscoring the region’s long-term commitment and momentum.Qatar's Es'hailSat plays a crucial role in regional satellite communications, while the UAE's Mars Hope Probe showcases successful international collaboration frameworks."What we're witnessing across the GCC is a comprehensive understanding that space industry success requires simultaneous excellence across multiple dimensions, financial commitment, partnership strategy, risk management, and policy integration, while maintaining patience for long-term returns in a rapidly evolving global landscape," Thibault Werle, Managing Director and Partner at BCG, said.Saudi Arabia's partnerships with NASA and Axiom, along with private sector participation from entities like Neo Space Group, demonstrate the effectiveness of hybrid investment models.