Chelimo edges classic to win womens world marathon

Chelimo edges classic to win womens world marathon

Kenyan-born Bahraini Rose Chelimo produced a devastating last kick to deny former compatriot Edna Kiplagat the women’s World Marathon title in a tactical, exciting battle on Sunday as the championships entered day three in London.

Kiplagat, who was bidding for a piece of history as the first marathoner to win a hatrick at the championships, hit 40km a second ahead but Chelimo fought back in the last 2km to clinch gold.

Chelimo’s emphatic win at the British capital in only her third marathon race marked Bahrain’s first medal in the event.

The 28-year-old who who acquired Bahraini citizenship two years ago won on her marathon debut in Seoul and finished eighth at the Rio Olympics before taking second place earlier this year in Boston.

Kiplagat’s compatriot and Commonwealth champion Flomena Cheyech Daniel was perhaps the most unfortunate athlete as she missed a medal by three seconds following the inspired final charge from the 33-year-old Cragg, who wiped away tears of emotion after the line.

The race started off at 4pm as Portugal’s 23-year-old Catarina Ribeiro, with a personal best of 2:30.10, made a bold move, opening up a lead on the main group of about 200m with the race nearing 10 minutes of action.

Half an hour later Ribeiro, still held her lead, although it looked as if it was diminishing, with the main field being led, by her compatriot Filomena Costa.

The gap between her and the pack started to narrow as Britain’s Alyson Dixon closed it.

After the 10km mark, Ribeiro clocked 35min 35sec, six seconds ahead of Dixon, with Ethiopia’s defending champion Mare Dibaba just a second behind, and the pack a second behind.

At the 15km mark, home favorite Dixon (53.09) was 22 seconds clear of the chasing pack where the Kenyans and their East African archrivals from Ethiopia stayed tacked in.

Dixon reached the 20km point, in 1:10.30. The pack, World Champions past and present, Kiplagat of Kenya and Dibaba, were 35 seconds back. The Briton reached the 25km mark, Dixon in 1:28.03, but her lead was cut to 14 seconds.

Kiplagat and Amy Cragg of the United States took the main responsibility for chasing the lone Brit down. By now the chasing pack had a group of 13 athletes with Kiplagat loping along.

Japan’s Kiyota, arms by her side like a doll, pattered along. By the time Eunice Kirwa of Bahrain started to cruise along, Dixon had started showing strain on her face.

Kiplagat took it up at the 30km mark who finished fifth in Beijing as defending champion and went back again with the target of winning an unprecedented third world marathon title.

Kiplagat clocked 1:45.52, surrounded by her main rivals, including Ethiopia’s defending champion Dibaba and Kirwa, who took silver in Rio last summer.

Dixon kept the fighting spirit for a while after the chasing pack had caught up with her, then stared dropping of to the back.

Australia’s Jessica Trengove made a big move as she took charge of the field through 35km in 2:03.47. Almost immediately everything started shaking up as nine of the 14 speed up and broke clear, led by Bahrain’s Rose

Chelimo followed by Cragg, and her team-mate Kirwa. But it was fluid and volatile now as the race begins in earnest.

Chelimo surged again as Kirwa tried to respond. But the veteran former champion Kiplagat who raised best to the challenge as she worked to annul the break, followed by Cragg.

The 28-year-old Chelimo was pushing for gold. But Kiplagat, almost ten years her senior, was not having it and edges ahead herself. After 2hr 20min of racing, this looks like a decisive – and for Kiplagat, a historic move.

Kiplagat hit 40km in 2:20.06, a second ahead of Chelimo, however, the gold medal was still in contention, while behind the race is as fierce for bronze between Daniel and Cragg.

Tags:

Marathon Edna Kiplagat IAAF World Athletics Championships Rose Chelimo London 2017

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