Ethiopian runner Bedatu Hirpa yesterday won a thrilling women’s Paris Marathon, while Kenyan Benard Biwott romped to a comfortable victory in the men’s event.
In cool conditions, Hirpa, 25, came on strong in the final meters of the race to overtake compatriot Dera Dida to win by just four seconds in 2 hours, 20 minutes, 45 seconds.
It was Hirpa’s second marathon of the year, following her victory in Dubai in mid-January when she beat Dida in a similar finish.
Photo: AFP
Kenyan runner Angela Tanui finished third in 2:21:07.
Biwott also claimed his second victory at the distance, dropping all of his rivals with 10km still to run and finishing in 2:05:25, a new personal best.
It was only the second marathon for the 22-year-old, who also won his previous outing in Frankfurt in October last year.
Ibrahim Hassan from Djibouti, who was the only one to give chase when the Kenyan made his move, finished second in 2:06:13, ahead of another Kenyan, Sila Kiptoo.
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