Boston (AFP)
Ethiopian Sisay Lemma, who had the fourth-best time in history last December, won the American Boston Marathon with a time of two hours, six minutes and 17 seconds, while Kenyan Helen Obiri achieved the double.
Lima, who failed to finish the race twice, most recently last year, and came in 30th place in 2019, imposed his control from the beginning, and widened the gap to more than two minutes in the middle, before finishing it with a 41-second lead in front of his compatriot Muhammad Issa, and a minute and five seconds ahead of the Kenyan. Evans Chebet won the last two editions in Boston, and thus failed to achieve the treble.
Lima, 33 years old, four months ago became the fourth-best runner in the history of the marathon by achieving first place in the Spanish Valencia Marathon with a time of two hours, one minute and 48 seconds, behind the late Kenyan Calvin Kiptum, who died in a car accident last February at the age of 24 years. The other is Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele.
Lima achieved his second victory in a major marathon after being crowned in London in 2021, and the eighth in his career, after Capri in Italy (2012), Warsaw and Eindhoven in Netherlands (2013), Vienna and Frankfurt in Germany (2015), and Valencia in Spain (2023).
“I was able to redeem myself,” Lima told ESPN. “I am very happy.”
He added, “My plan was to break the race record, but the many hills, ups and downs, took a lot of time from me and made me tired.”
He explained that the challenges posed by the race were the ideal preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympic Marathon.
“The reason I came to run in Boston is because the Boston Marathon is like the Paris Marathon — up hills and down hills, and that helps me there,” he said.
Among women, Obiri (34 years old) retained the title she won last year, thanks to her final speed in the final meters, where she took first place with a time of two hours, 22 minutes and 37 seconds, eight seconds behind her compatriot Sharon Lokedi.
Third place went to another Kenyan, Edna Kiplagat (44 years old), with a time of two hours, 23 minutes and 21 seconds.
A year and a half after her marathon debut (in New York in 2022), Aubiri, a two-time 5,000m world champion (2017 and 2019), and two Olympic silver medalist in the same race (2016 and 2021), has achieved three major victories, two One in Boston, and one in New York in 2023.
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