Kenyan runners make it a family affair in Paris
Paul Lonyangata won the 41st Paris marathon on Sunday with his wife, Purity Rionoripo, tying up the women’s race to make it a memorable day for the Kenyan couple in the French capital.
Lonyangata recorded his biggest career win in 2hr 6min 10sec despite losing valuable time when doubling back after missing the penultimate water station. His compatriot, pre-race favourite Stephen Chebogut, came in second at 2:6:56sec, with Solomon Yego completing the all-Kenyan podium in third at 2:7:13sec.
“I feel good now as my aim was to come here to win,” said Lonyangata, who was going one better after taking second in the Paris half-marathon in March.
Rionoripo made it a redletter day for the couple, the 23-year-old setting a record time of 2:20:50 to smash her personal best by almost four minutes.
The couple’s success put a smile back on the face of Kenyan athletics 48 hours after the news of Olympic marathon champion Jemima Sumgong’s failed dope test. She was the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic gold in the marathon when she triumphed in Rio 2016.
The 32-year-old, who is also the reigning London Marathon champion, tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO in a test by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in her native Kenya.
Lonyangata, 24, made his decisive move after the 35km marker, surging clear of Chebogut in the Bois de Boulogne to add Paris to his previous marathon wins in Shanghai in 2015 and Lisbon in 2013.
In the women’s race, Rionorigo was followed across the line by her compatriot Agnes Barsosio at 2:21:02 with Flomena Cheyech (2:21:23) completing the podium.
“I’m happy, it’s a great day for me to win and to beat my personal best,” said Rionorigo, who had 2016’s winner Visiline Jepkesho (fourth) among the more fancied contenders in her slipstream. She lowered the previous women’s Paris marathon record time set by Ethiopia’s Feyse Tadese of 2:21:06 in 2013.
In the men’s race her husband’s winning time was 53sec outside the record established by Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele of 2:05:04 in 2014.
Britain’s six-time Paralympic champion David Weir tuned up for his career swan song in the London marathon on April 23 with success in Paris. The wheelchair racer won four gold medals at London 2012 but crashed out of the 2016 Rio Games marathon.