Kenya’s Hellen Obiri claims second consecutive title; Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma dominates men’s race

Kenya’s Hellen Obiri and Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma produced gorgeous runs to win the ladies’s and males’s races of the 2024 Boston Marathon on Monday 15 April.

Obiri crossed the road in two hours, 22 minutes and 37 seconds to say her second consecutive win within the capital of Massachusetts after her maiden marathon victory in the identical metropolis final 12 months. Her fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi got here in second, eight seconds behind.

Obiri has now gained three of the 4 42.195km races she has entered and will likely be among the many sturdy favourites ought to she compete at Paris 2024.

Whereas the 34-year-old, who has two Olympic 5,000m silver medals to her title, has made her transition from observe to roads look easy, this was something however a straightforward race. She was matched stride-for-stride by Lokedi till the 40km mark when she lastly managed to interrupt away. Lokedi ended the race in 2:22:45 with two-time Boston winner (2017, 2021) Edna Kiplagat third in 2:23:21 as Kenyan runners swept the rostrum.

“I knew that Sharon was very sturdy so I attempted my greatest on the finish,” Obiri stated in a post-race interview. “I attempted to push, however she was nonetheless shut behind me. To win right here makes me so very blissful.

“After I gained right here final 12 months, I used to be not that accustomed to the marathon. This 12 months my coaching was good and I trusted every thing we have been doing.”

Within the males’s race, Lemma wasted no time in asserting his dominance over the sphere, breaking from the pack after solely 20 minutes and sustaining his lead for the rest of the race, regardless of the challenges of Boston’s notoriously troublesome course and the prospect of operating alone for almost all of the 42.195km.

The 2023 Valencia Marathon winner and fourth-fastest male marathoner in historical past was at one level on observe to interrupt the Boston course file,- and even problem the world file time of the late Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum.

However regardless of slowing considerably over the second half of the run, Lemma by no means appeared prone to relinquish his lead and crossed the road first in 2:06:17. He has now firmly established himself as one of many best males’s marathon racers on the planet.

Lemma’s compatriot Mohamed Esa completed second in 2:06:58 with Kenya’s Evans Chebet third in 2:07:22.