Kenya’s Kipchoge, Kosgei win London Marathon
LONDON: Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge won the men’s London Marathon on Sunday in a time of two hours two minutes and 37 seconds -- the second fastest time for any marathon.
Only Olympic champion Kipchoge himself has gone quicker over the distance with 2:01:39 in Berlin last year.
Sunday’s victory gave him a record fourth win in London.
The 34-year-old, whose previous London triumphs came in the 2015, 2016 and 2018 editions, was in imperious form as he broke clear of Ethiopia’s Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun, second and third respectively.
Britain’s Mo Farah, whose build-u[p to race day was overshadowed by an extraordinary row with distance great Haile Gebrselassie over an alleged robbery in the hotel owned by the retired Ethiopian, could not cope with the pace as he finished in fifth place.
Meanwhile, Brigid Kosgei won the women’s event in an unofficial time of two hours 18 minutes and 19 seconds.
Victory saw the 25-year-old set a new personal best as she added the London title to her win in the Chicago Marathon last year.
Kosgei’s compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot was second, in a role reversal from last year when she beat Kosgei to finish first in London. Ethiopia’s Roza Dereje was third. Kosgei left the rest of the elite women’s field behind her with a blistering second half of the race.
Cheruiyot was initially able to stay with her when Kosgei made a break at the 20mile mark but could not maintain the pace and drifted away some four miles from the finish.
According to statistics compiled by the BBC, Kosgei ran the second half of the race in a time of 66 minutes and 42 seconds -- the fastest for the women’s event. - AFP