In a remarkable display of endurance and speed, Hellen Obiri retained her title at the Boston Marathon on Monday evening, leading a Kenyan sweep with a time of 2:22:37. Sharon Lokedi and the veteran Edna Kiplagat followed closely, securing second and third places respectively.
Obiri’s victory marks her as the first woman to win consecutive Boston Marathon titles since Catherine Ndereba in 2005. The race was tightly contested, with 19 women in the lead pack at the midpoint, but it was in the final miles that Obiri, Lokedi, and Kiplagat pulled ahead from the rest.
In a strategic move, Obiri paced alongside Lokedi until the final mile, where she surged ahead to victory, using the race as preparation for her first Olympic marathon in Paris.
On the men’s side, Evans Chebet was unable to defend his title against Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma, who triumphed with a time of 2:06:17. Lemma led the race from the early stages, maintaining a significant lead and finishing 41 seconds ahead of his fellow countryman Mohammed Esa, who claimed second place.
Lemma’s performance, just shy of the Boston course record, was a personal redemption after not completing the race last year and a disappointing 30th place finish in 2019.
His victory in Boston is seen as an ideal stepping stone towards the Paris 2024 Olympics, with the challenging course providing excellent preparation for the undulating Parisian terrain.
Reported By AFP.
