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By:
AYUMBA OMONDI | |||||||||
| Posted:
Apr,26-2017 11:53:14
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Kenya's Mary Keitany on Sunday clocked 2 hours, 17 minutes and 01 second to break women's world marathon record with victory at London Marathon.
Keitany broke the 14-year-old record of 2:17:42 set by Briton Paula Radcliffe at the same course by 41 seconds. The feat was enough to also set a new national record.
Radcliffe won the 2003 London Marathon in 2:15:25 but the time was scaled down to 2:17:42 after the Briton used pacesetters in the last kilometres.
It was the 35-year-old's third victory in London, having won in 2011 in 2:19:19 before defending the title in 2012 with the second fastest time in the history of marathon of 2:18:37, which was also a national record.
Keitany was simply in a class of her own when she led virtually from the start, cruising past the 20km mark in 1:03:25 as she led former Olympic and World 10,000m champion Tirunsh Dibaba by 48 seconds.
Keitany cruised past half mark in 1:06:54 and stretched her lead between her and Dibaba to 1 minute and 18 seconds when she hit the 35km mark in 1:56:20.
The World record was within sight for Keitany, the 2015 and 2016 New York City Marathon champion, with 2kms to go as she zoomed past the 40km mark in 2:09:38.
Keitany, who entered the marathon history books as the greatest, edged out Dibaba, the triple Olympic and five times World champion at 5000m and 10,000m, to second in an Ethiopian national record time of 2:17:56.
Another Ethiopian Aselefech Mergia sealed the last podium place in 2:23:08, beating Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot, who was running her first marathon race to fourth in2:23:50.
World Marathon silver medallist Helah KIprop from Kenya was placed seventh in 2:25:39 as compatriot Florence Kiplagat settled ninth in 2:26:25.
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Source:
Nation
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