Marathon winner returns medal to honor bombing victims

The winner of the men’s 2013 Boston Marathon returned his medal to Mayor Thomas Menino on Sunday to honor the city and those killed and injured in the bombings near the finish line.

“Sport holds the power to unify and connect people all over the world,” Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia told the crowd through a translator. “Sport should never be used as a battleground.”

More than 6,400 athletes gathered on Boston Common for the 10K organized by the Boston Athletic Association, the same nonprofit that handles the annual marathon. Spots for Sunday’s race sold out in 13 hours online.

A moment of silence paid tribute