Rutto stars as Kenyans dominate Boston meet

Kenyans dominated the opening night of the Boston Games athletics meet with the distance running nation celebrating two triumphs on Saturday.

Cyrus Rutto took the men’s 3,000 in 7:45.64 as Caroline Kipkirui clinched the women’s 5,000 in 15:55.24, edging Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay by .51.

Two-time world indoor runner-up Ajee Wilson won the 800 meters in 1min 59.27secs, .16 ahead of Jamaica’s Natoya Goule, who was third at this year’s Commonwealth Games.

Britain’s Chris O’Hare, a 1,500 Rio Olympic semi-finalist coming off a foot injury, finished second in the mile, with American Drew Hunter winning in 3:56.72 and O’Hare next on 3:57.17.

New Zealand’s Nick Willis, twice an Olympic 1,500m medalist, was sixth in 4:00.29 in his outdoor season debut. The 35-year-old Kiwi missed April’s Commonwealth Games with a leg injury.

Canada’s Brandon McBride won the men’s 800 in 1:45.18, defeating Poland’s Marcin Lewandowski by .93.

Ethiopia’s Dawit Seyaum, the 2016 world indoor 1,500m runner-up, won the 1,500 in 4:04.65, edging American Charlene Lipsey by .33.

The meet concludes Sunday with sprints on a specially constructed straightaway in downtown Boston.