Kenya’s Caroline Rotich won the womens’ Boston Marathon title as Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa went for men’s crown on Monday.
Rotich outsprinted Ethiopians Mare Dibaba and Buzunesh Deba down Boylston Street to win in 2 hours 24:55 minutes. She edged out Dibaba by four seconds as Deba finished third.
It’s the first Boston victory for the 30-year-old Kenyan after she finished fourth in 2011.
Rotich won the Prague Marathon in 2013, but this was her first major victory. Her previous bests had been fourths in Chicago and Tokyo last year.
Desisa, who won the men’s race for the second time in three years, pulled away from the pack in the last few miles for a commanding victory in 2:09:17.
Yemane Adhane Tsegay, also of Ethiopia, was 31 seconds behind in second, his best finish in a major marathon. Wilson Chebet of Kenya was third.
SPORTS SCHOLARSHIP
Born in Nyahururu on May 13, 1984, Rotich got a sports scholarship in Japan at Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School, an institution known for long-distance running, attended by athletes such as Samuel Wanjiru.
She made her debut over the marathon distance in 2006 at the Nairobi Marathon, finishing in eleventh place. She moved to the United States to train and became based there full-time.
“I have been waiting for this for a long time. I told myself I wanna win this after I made the last turn with Mare shoulder-to-shoulder,” said Rotich. “I pump all the way to the finish line and I did it.”
Athletics Kenya acting President Lt. Gen Rtd Jackson Tuwei congratulated Rotich for winning and Chebet for finishing third in men’s event.
“We have followed the races closely and that was a remarkable performance and well done to all participants,” said Tuwei.
Two years after the bombs killed three and wounded 260 more, the world’s most prestigious marathon took a tentative step back toward normal.
-nation.co.ke
