Assefa smashes women’s-only world record, Sawe dominates at London marathon
LONDON: Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa delivered a breathtaking performance to win the 45th London Marathon on Sunday, breaking the women’s-only world record with a time of 2:15:50. The 28-year-old, who won silver at last year’s Paris Olympics, pulled away from Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei in the final kilometres after a punishing early pace. Assefa’s time bettered the previous mark of 2:16:16 set by Peres Jepchirchir in London last year.
Benefiting from the warm conditions, Assefa expressed her delight: “Last year, I had some problems with the cold. This year, the weather suited me really well, and that’s why I’m really pleased with the way the race went.” Jepkosgei finished second in 2:18:44, while reigning Olympic champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands took third in 2:19:00.
In the men’s race, Kenyan Sebastian Sawe displayed sharp tactical awareness, breaking away from the pack while others refueled with 10 kilometres to go. The 29-year-old, fresh off a marathon debut win in Valencia, crossed the line in a brilliant 2:02:27, defeating a highly competitive field.(Reuters)
