Canadian Lakatos reigns in London rain
LONDON— Canada’s Brent Lakatos has dominated wheelchair racing’s sprint distances for the better part of a decade. On Sunday, the 40-year-old from Dorval, Que., pulled away down The Mall at St. James Park to win the London Marathon.
And in a running season that was almost entirely wiped out by the pandemic, Tristan Woodfine of Cobden, Ont., made the Olympic qualifying standard for next summer’s rescheduled Tokyo Games.
Lakatos, drenched from drizzling rain, finished in one hour 46 minutes and four seconds.
“Thank you to everyone for the amazing support,” tweeted Lakatos, who has won seven
Paralympics medals and 11 world titles at shorter distances. “Huge thanks for @LondonMarathon for all their work putting on a safe race in these crazy times.”
The race, originally set for April, featured a small, elite field with strict health protocols. The course was pared to 19.7 loops around the park, with Buckingham Pallace as the backdrop. Cardboard cutouts of athletes and celebrities lined the course in place of fans.
The 31-year-old Woodfine needed to run 2:11:30 to qualify for the Olympics and finished 14th in 2:10:51. Canadian record-holder Cam Levins didn’t finish and has yet to meet the Tokyo standard.