Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa yesterday set a women’s only world record of 2 hours, 15 minutes, 50 seconds as she won the London Marathon, while Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe put a star-studded men’s field to the sword.
For 28-year-old Assefa it was ample compensation for finishing runner-up in London and the Paris Olympics last year — especially as bitter Dutch rival, the Ethiopia-born Sifan Hassan, finished third.
Assefa dropped Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei as the race, played out in blazing sunshine and with thousands lining the route, entered its business end.
Photo: AFP
She came home almost three minutes clear of the Kenyan. Hassan, who beat her in an ill-tempered finish to the Olympic race last year, was well adrift in third.
“I was second last year, so to win here this year is very special,” she told the BBC speaking through an interpreter. “Last year I had trouble with the cold weather and my hamstirng tightened up. This year suited me much more and found it a lot easier.”
Sawe made the decisive break at a drinks station as they reached the 90-minute mark and he gave Kenya their fourth successive win in the men’s race timing 2:02:27.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The 29-year-old, who won the Valencia Marathon in December last year, came home alone ahead of Uganda’s world half marathon record-holder Jacob Kiplimo.
Defending champion Alexander Mutiso Munyao edged Abdi Nageeye for third in a photo finish, while four-time champion Eliud Kipchoge finished sixth.
Britain’s Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee finished a highly creditable 14th on his debut.
“I am very happy to have won a major marathon,” Sawe said. “I was well prepared for this that is why I was so relaxed and confident. Now this gives me hope that further success in marathons will come.”
There was a Swiss double in the wheelchair category — Marcel Hug and Olympic champion Catherine Debrunner winning the men and women’s titles respectively.
For Hug, 39, it was his seventh London crown and fifth successive victory. For 30-year-old Debrunner it represented her second consecutive win and third overall.
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