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A16 sports
Tuesday 19 april 2022

Olympic champ Jepchirchir wins 50th women’s Boston Marathon

By JIMMY GOLEN home opener — the city's Ukrainians are fighting course and she drifted into "We had communicated
AP Sports Writer other sporting rite of spring over there for peace in my Jepchirchir. earlier, all of us. We want-
BOSTON (AP) — Reigning — more than 28,000 run- country, in Europe and the Yeshaneh reached out to ed to keep running as a
Olympic champion Peres group," said Chebet, who
Jepchirchir capped the finished fourth in London
celebration of a half-cen- last fall. "I observed that
tury of women in the Bos- my counterparts were no-
ton Marathon with a finish where near me and that
to top them all. gave me the motivation."
The 28-year-old Kenyan This race marked the 50th
won a see-saw sprint down anniversary of Nina Kusc-
the stretch on Monday, sik's victory in the first official
when the world's oldest women's race. (But not the
and most prestigious an- first woman to finish: That
nual marathon returned to honor belongs to Bobbi
its traditional spring start for Gibb, who first ran in 1966
the first time since the on- among the unofficial run-
set of the coronavirus pan- ners known as bandits.)
demic. At Wellesley College, the
On the 50th anniversary women's school near the
of the first official women's halfway point, the iconic
race, Jepchirchir traded "scream tunnel" was back
places with Ethiopia's Aba- after the pandemic-in-
bel Yeshaneh eight times duced absence — and
in the final mile before pull- louder than ever. One
ing ahead for good on spectator in Wellesley held
Boylston Street and finish- a sign that read "50 Years
ing in 2 hours, 21 minutes, 1 Women Running Boston,"
second. Boston Marathon women's division winner Peres Jepchirchir, of Kenya, left, and men's winner along with names of the
"I was feeling she was Evans Chebet, of Kenya, pose at the finish line Monday, April 18, 2022, in Boston. eight who broke the gen-
strong. I pushed it," said Associated Press der barrier in 1972.
Jepchirchir, who earned Five of the original pioneers
$150,000 and the tradition- returned for this year's cel-
al gilded olive wreath to ners returned to the streets world overall," said Molcha- apologize, and the two ebration, including Valerie
go with her Olympic gold from Hopkinton to Copley nov, who finished in 2:39:20. clasped each other's arms Rogosheske, who finished
medal and 2021 New York Square six months after a "When it was really tough as they continued on. sixth in '72; she ran along-
City Marathon title. "I fell smaller and socially dis- I tried not to give up and "In running, we understand side her daughters this year
behind. But I didn't lose tanced event that was the tried pushing, kind of fight each other and we may- and served as the honorary
hope." only fall race in its 126-year with myself the way Ukrai- be somebody came and starter for the women's elite
Evans Chebet completed history. nians are fighting against bumps, but it's OK," Jep- field.
the Kenyan sweep, break- Fans waved Ukrainian flags Russia right now." chirchir said. "It was not ri- Rogosheske, who wore Bib
ing away from Gabriel in support of the runners Ukrainians who were un- valism; it was just an acci- No. 1972, said at the start-
Geay with about four miles whose 26.2-mile run Mon- able to make it to Boston dent." ing line that she had been
to go to finish in 2:06:51 for day was the easiest part were offered a deferral or Beaten, Yeshaneh finished planning to hide in the
his first major marathon of their journey. Forty-four refund. four seconds back. Kenya's bushes and run as a bandit
victory. The 2019 winner Ukrainian citizens had regis- "Whatever they want to Mary Ngugi finished third 50 years ago until women
Lawrence Cherono was tered for the race; only 11 do, they can do," Boston for the second time in six got the go-ahead a few
second, 30 seconds back, started. Athletic Association Presi- months, following her po- weeks before the race.
defending champion Ben- Athletes from Russia and dent Tom Grilk said. "Run dium in October after the "It's a reminder that we've
son Kipruto was third, and Belarus were disinvited in this year, run next year. You 125th race was delayed, got it pretty easy," said 2018
Geay fell back to fourth. response to the invasion. want a puppy? Whatever. canceled and delayed winner Des Linden, who
Daniel Romanchuk of "I decided to come here There is no group we want again. finished 13th on Monday.
Champaign, Illinois, won and show that Ukrainians to be more helpful to." About 20 men stayed to- "Fifty years ago, they were
his second career wheel- are strong, we're fighting Jepchirchir and Yeshaneh, gether — with American breaking barriers and do-
chair title in 1:26:58. Switzer- and we hope peace will who was third in New York CJ Albertson leading for ing the hard part.
land's Manuela Schar won come soon," said Dmytro last fall, spent most of the much of the way — before "It's really not lost on me that
her second straight Boston Molchanov, a Ukrainian morning running shoulder Chebet and Geay broke there's 126 years of race his-
crown and fourth overall, who lives in New York. to shoulder — or even clos- from the pack coming out tory here, and we're 'Rah!
finishing in 1:41:08. "It's really tough, basi- er: Just after the 25-kilome- of Heartbreak Hill. Chebet Rah!'-ing 50," she said. "But
Sharing a Patriots' Day cally, being here while all ter marker, the Ethiopian's pulled away a couple of you can't look back, you
weekend with the Red Sox my family, my friends and eyes wandered from the miles later. look forward."q