Cherono wins Boston Marathon in sprint to the tape

BOSTON: Two-time Boston Marathon champion Lelisa Desisa turned onto Boylston Street with a sliver of a lead, leaning in front of two other runners with the finish line in sight.

Unfortunately for him, one of them was the fastest man in the field.

Lawrence Cherono needed every bit of his speed to outkick Desisa in a sprint to the tape on Monday, passing him just steps away from the finish line to win the 123rd Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 7 minutes 57 seconds.

Desisa, who won in 2015 and 2013, the year the race was overshadowed by a bombing at the finish line, eased up after realising he was beaten and finished two seconds back. Kenneth Kipkemoi was third, another eight seconds behind, one of seven Kenyans in the top 10.

“It was no man’s race to win,” said Cherono, who had won in Seville, Prague, Honolulu and twice in Amsterdam but never in a major marathon before.

“I kept on focusing. And at the end, I was the winner. I’m so grateful, so happy.”

Worknesh Degefa broke away from defending champion Des Linden and the rest of the women’s pack in the Framingham flats and ran alone for the last 20 miles to claim the US$150,000 (RM622,000) first prize and a gilded olive wreath from Marathon, Greece.

The 28-year-old Ethiopian, who set a national record while finishing second in Dubai less than three months ago, won in 2’23:31. Kenya’s Edna Kiplagat was second, reducing a gap of more than two minutes to 42 seconds at the finish.

American Jordan Hasay was third and Linden was fifth.