LONDON, Apr 21: Ethopian Tsegaye Kebede today won the London marathon in 2 hr 6min 4 sec.
Four miles before the finish, the diminutive Kebede had been in fifth position and 49 seconds behind the leader but slowly he reeled in his opponents before overtaking Kenya’s Emmanuel Mutai in the last mile.
It was a textbook example of how to remain patient and conserve energy until the business end of a marathon – one of the skills Mo Farah admits he has to learn as he prepares to make his debut over the full 26.2-mile distance in London in a year’s time.
After all the predictions of a course record and possibly even a new world mark, Kebede’s winning time was actually the slowest in London since 2007 as the blisteringly fast pace-making clearly took its toll in the latter stages.
The leading group had been exactly on world record pace at the halfway mark, shortly after Farah had exited stage left, and Patrick Makau’s world mark of 2hr 3min 38sec still looked feasible with eight miles remaining.
But, with temperature rising, all thoughts of records soon disappeared as a leading group of four runners broke away. Kebede, wisely, chose not to go with them.
Kenya’s Stanley Biwott, a London Marathon debutant, was the first to attempt an attack at the 21-mile mark, though his surge lasted no more than a mile and a half when he was caught by Mutai.
In one of the most exciting finishes in years, it was Mutai who was then overtaken as Kebede raced past him just after the 25-mile mark to claim his second London crown following his victory in 2010.
Mutai was second in 2hr 6min 34sec, with Ethiopian Ayele Abshero third in 2hr 6min 57sec.
Farah, who was using the first half of the race as a dry run for next year, kept his promise not to interfere with the race outcome by remaining at the back of the lead group until pulling up. (PTI)
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