Rose Chelimo, a Bahraini who switched allegiance from her Kenyan homeland, sprinted away from her former compatriot Edna Kiplagat on Sunday to win the women’s marathon at the World Athletics Championships after a tactical battle and an exciting finish.
Chelimo fought back over the last few hundred meters toward the finish at Tower Bridge after Kiplagat, Kenya’s two-times champion, struck for home too soon with 2km left.
The 28-year-old Chelimo, who acquired Bahraini citizenship two years ago and was cleared by the IAAF last year to run for her adopted country, finished strongly to take the victory in two hours, 27 minutes, 11 seconds, seven seconds clear of Kiplagat.
Photo: EPA
Amy Cragg, of the US, closed in on the tiring 37-year-old Kiplagat, but had to settle for the bronze in the same time of two hours, 27 minutes, 18 seconds.
Meanwhile, in the men’s marathon on Sunday, Geoffrey Kirui took a quick glance over his shoulder, just to see if his nearest competitor was possibly closing the gap.
Nobody remotely in sight. It was a runaway.
Kirui bided his time and saved his strength for a late surge that helped him win in convincing fashion. He became the fifth Kenyan man to win the marathon title at the worlds.
“This is the best moment of my career, easily,” said Kirui, who also won the Boston Marathon in April.
Kirui, 24, had such a big lead he spent the last part of the race waving to the crowd as he made his way across the finish line. He won in two hours, eight minutes, 27 seconds — one minute, 22 seconds ahead of Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia.
Alphonce Simbu of Tanzania finished third.
“I was very, very prepared well for this race,” Kirui said.
That is why he resisted the temptation to chase after Tola when the Ethiopian made a move in the latter stages of the race. Kirui was betting that Tola would not be able to hold that pace to the finish.
He was right. Kirui waited a few more minutes and then reeled in Tola, who was dealing with an injury to his left Achilles tendon. Tola could not follow as Kirui breezed by him.
“I do not feel like I lost the gold medal,” Tola said. “Although I was in pain, I was able to finish the marathon.”
Tola earned a bronze in the 10,000m at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil. He won a marathon in Dubai this season and a half-marathon in Prague.
However, this was not his type of course, with all the tight turns around the four 10km loops. It was certainly scenic, with the route taking the runners along the edge of the River Thames at times and passing by such London landmarks as St Paul’s Cathedral.
“The course was difficult for me with so many curves,” Tola said. “I have never run a course like this.”
It was to Kirui’s liking.
“Best course and the best crowd I have seen at a marathon,” he said.
The race favorite was Kenyan runner Daniel Wanjiru, who finished in eighth place. He was not surprised one of his countrymen ended up with the gold.
“In Kenya, as we train, anybody can win,” said Wanjiru, who won the London Marathon this year. “It can be anybody’s day in Kenya. Very happy for him.”
British marathoner Callum Hawkins finished in fourth. He was fueled at the end by the cheers.
“It was crazy,” Hawkins said. “The last 5k, I couldn’t even hear my own footsteps.”
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