Ethiopia completed a double yesterday in the Tokyo Marathon as Birhanu Legese won the men’s race and Ruti Aga took the women’s title in unfavorable wet and windy conditions.
Legese, 24, who made an impressive marathon debut in Dubai in January last year, won in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 48 seconds — just 33 seconds slower than his personal best set in Dubai, but still the second-fastest ever finisher in Tokyo.
Kenyans completed the podium with Bedan Karoki placing second in 2:06:48 and last year’s winner, Dickson Chumba, placing third in 2:08:44, more than three minutes slower than his time last year.
Photo: Kyodo/via Reuters
“I’m very happy. Rain was a bit annoying, but I’m very happy,” Legese said, adding that he hoped to return for the Olympic Games marathon next year.
“I hope to run for the second straight year here,” he said.
In the women’s event, Ethiopians swept the podium as Aga, 25, won in 2:20:40, 21 seconds ahead of Helen Tolao in second and 25 seconds ahead of Shure Demise in third.
Photo: Lin Tsuei-yi, Taipei Times
Taiwan’s Tsao Chun-yu ran a time of 2:36:14, breaking a 15-year national record and finishing 17th in the women’s race.
Tsao broke the record of 2:39:53 set by Hsu Yu-fang in the 2004 Xiamen International Marathon.
After the Tokyo Marathon, Tsao said that while she did not achieve her personal goal of finishing under 2:35, she was pleased to have broken the national record for a female marathoner.
With that time, Tsao qualified for the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Sept. 27 to Oct. 6.
Additional reporting by CNA
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