Lemma wins Boston Marathon; Obiri defends her title
Sisay Lemma scorched the first half of the Boston Marathon course on Monday, setting a record pace to build a lead of more than half of a mile.
Then the weather heated up, and the 34-year-old Ethiopian slowed down.
After running alone for most of the morning, Lemma held on down Boylston Street to finish in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 17 seconds — the 10th fastest time in the race's 128-year history. Lemma dropped to the pavement and rolled onto his back, smiling, after crossing the finish line.
“Until halfway through I was running very hard and very good. But after that it was getting harder and harder,” said Lemma, who failed to finish twice and came in 30th in three previous Boston attempts. “Several times I've dropped out of the race before. But today I won, so I've redeemed myself.”
Hellen Obiri defended her title, outkicking Sharon Lokedi on Boylston Street to finish in 2:27:37 and win by eight seconds; twotime Boston champion Edna Kiplagat completed the Kenyan sweep, finishing another 36 seconds back.
Obiri also won New York last fall and is among the favorites for the Paris Olympics. She is the sixth woman to win back-to-back in Boston and the first since Catherine “the Great” Ndereba won four in six years from 2000 to `05.
“Defending the title was not easy. Since Boston started, it's only six women. So I said, `Can I be one of them? If you want to be one of them, you have to work extra hard,'” she said. “And I'm so happy
Sisay Lemma, of Ethiopia, breaks the tape to win the Boston Marathon on Monday in 2:06.17.
because I'm now one of them. I'm now in the history books in Boston.”
CJ Albertson of Fresno was the top American man in seventh, his second top-10 finish.
Rice, facing charges, to do workouts with Chiefs
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday that wide receiver Rashee Rice, who is facing charges that include aggravated assault as a result of a sports car crash in Texas, would participate in the team's voluntary offseason program beginning this week.
Dallas police allege that Rice, the Chiefs' top wide receiver last season, and a friend, Theodore Knox, were driving at high speed in the far left lane of a freeway when they lost control. The Lamborghini that Rice has admitted to driving hit the center median, causing a chain reaction that involved six vehicles and resulted in injures to multiple people.
Rice turned himself in last Thursday after police issued warrants for one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury. He was released on bond.
Rice is being represented by Texas state Sen. Royce West, who said in an emailed statement the wide receiver “acknowledges his actions and feels deeply for those injured as a result of this accident,” and that he would continue to cooperate with police.
“I'm leaving that like we've done most of these — just for the law enforcement part of it to take place,” Reid said during a Zoom meeting with local reporters Monday. “We will go from there with that. So you can hold your (questions). I have had an opportunity to talk to Rashee. I'm not going to obviously get into that, but that part has been gone through.”
• For as smooth as the rehabilitation process has been for T.J. Hockenson since he tore the ACL in his right knee, the Minnesota Vikings tight end is not even halfway done with it.
Hockenson's seventh year in the NFL will undoubtedly be his most difficult, with no promise he'll be ready in time to play in the season opener, and in his opinion it didn't have to be this way.
The low hit by Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph that injured Hockenson in the game at Minnesota on Dec. 24 was repeated in the same manner by the same player two weeks later on Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee with the same result.
“I've got nothing against him. I've played with him in Detroit. I understand that's kind of what they expect you to do in the league,” Hockenson said on Monday in his first public interview since the injury. “But on the same hand, I would've much rather gone down with a concussion for two weeks than have to go through this for nine months.”
For all the advantages given to offensive players, Hockenson argued that their prohibition on cut blocks outside the tackle box ought to be matched by a ban on defensive players being able to take those dives in order to bring down a ball carrier. Hockenson had a 24-yard reception on the fateful play before Joseph hit him at the knee with his helmet.
“When you have a guy 25 yards downfield, looking back at the ball and trying to make a play, and then you have another guy not even staring at the defender and just kind of putting his helmet down at the knee, you see what happens with that,” Hockenson said. “You see it doesn't put the offensive player in a good position and it doesn't put the defensive player in a good position. His helmet's straight down, looking at the ground. That's not a good football tackle. That's not good football position.”
Hockenson and Higbee had the same surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. Allowing his damaged MCL to fully heal, Hockenson waited until Jan. 29 to have his ACL reconstruction. That pushed back the clock on his recovery a bit but ought to improve his overall outlook for the season. Still, the most likely scenario seems to be making his 2024 debut sometime after the opener.
• The Philadelphia Eagles agreed to terms with wide receiver DeVonta Smith on a threeyear contract extension through the 2028 season on Monday. The move included the Eagles picking up the fifth-year option on Smith's 2025 season.
Smith has 240 receptions for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns in three seasons with the Eagles. He'll get a reported $75M contract extension that includes $51M guaranteed with his new deal.
• Three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and the Indianapolis Colts have agreed on a $46 million, two-year contract extension through 2026, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday because the team didn't release the terms.
Badosa beats Shnaider at Porsche Grand Prix
Paula Badosa battled past Diana Shnaider 6-3, 6-4 to set up a match with friend and world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka at the Porsche Grand Prix on Monday inn Stuttgart, Germany.
Shnaider fended off four match points before former No. 2 Badosa took her fifth opportunity at the clay-court tournament.
Sabalenka has finished runnerup on her last three appearances in Stuttgart, losing the final to former No.1 Ashleigh Barty in 2021 and current No.1 Iga Swiatek in 2022 and 2023.
Earlier, Sachia Vickery of the United States defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus 7-6 (2), 7-5 and will next face compatriot Coco Gauff, the world No. 3.