Lemi Berhanu Hayle won the Boston Marathon today – leading home an Ethiopian 1-2-3 to triumph in the men’s race.
The 21-year-old clocked a time of 2 hours, 12min and 44sec to triumph in the World Marathon Major in the American city.
He pulled away from compatriot and defending champion Lelisa Desisa, a World Championship silver medallist from 2013 in Moscow, to take top honours.
Desisa would eventually finish 47 seconds back with Yemane Adhane Tsegay, the silver medallist from the Beijing 2015 World Championship, completing the sweep of the podium another 30 seconds adrift.
The success kept coming for Ethiopia as two-time Paris Marathon winner Atsede Baysa clinched the women’s title to ensure a first-ever double for the country.
Baysa was nearly 40 seconds adrift at the 22-mile marker but roared back into contention and eventually finished 44 seconds clear with a time of 2:29:19.
Tirfi Tsegaye, a previous winner in Berlin, Paris and Tokyo and another Ethiopian, took silver with Joyce Chepkirui of Kenya ensuring another country would finish in the top three with 2:30:50.
For wheelchair racers, Boston was particularly important this year as it marked the start of the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series which will see points scored over a rotating calendar in the US city as well as London, Tokyo, Berlin, Chicago and New York.
American Tatyana McFadden was a predictable winner in the women’s race, with the triple Paralympic gold medallist triumphing in Boston for the fourth straight year.
Her time of 1:52:54 was enough to beat Japan’s Wakako Tsuchida, who managed 1:53:48, into second position.
Another American athlete made the podium in front of her home fans as Susannah Scaroni clocked 1:57:21 for bronze.
Switzerland’s Marcel Hug defended his men’s title and was timed at 1:29:53 to beat South Africa’s 10-time Boston champion Ernst Van Dyk who was well adrift on 1:36:27.
Masazumi Soejima claimed another medal for Japan, finishing in 1:36:28.
- By Dan Palmer
- Republished with permission insidethegames.biz