Page 16 - aruba-today-20240416

A16 SPORTS
Tuesday 16 april 2024
Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma wins Boston Marathon in runaway. Kenya’s

Hellen Obiri repeats in women’s race

By JIMMY GOLEN Sunny skies and minimal
AP Sports Writer wind greeted the runners,
BOSTON (AP) — Sisay Lem- with temperatures in the
ma scorched the first half 40s as they gathered in
of the Boston Marathon Hopkinton rising to 69 as the
course on Monday, setting stragglers crossed the finish
a record pace to build a line in the afternoon. As the
lead of more than half of a field went through Natick,
mile. the fourth of eight cities
Then the weather heated and towns on the route,
up, and the 34-year-old athletes splashed water on
Ethiopian slowed down. themselves to cool off.
After running alone for “We couldn’t ask for a bet-
most of the morning, Lem- ter day,” former New Eng-
ma held on down Boylston land Patriots tight end Rob
Street to finish in 2 hours, Gronkowski, the grand
6 minutes, 17 seconds — marshal, said before climb-
the 10th fastest time in ing into an electric car that
the race’s 128-year his- would carry him along the
tory. Lemma dropped to course.
the pavement and rolled “The city of Boston always
onto his back, smiling, after comes out to support,
crossing the finish line. no matter the event. The
“Until halfway through I weather is perfection, the
was running very hard and energy is popping.”
very good. But after that The festivities began
it was getting harder and around 6 a.m., when race
harder,” said Lemma, who Boston Marathon men’s division winner Sisay Lemma, of Ethiopia, left, and women’s division director Dave McGilli-
failed to finish twice and winner Hellen Obiri, of Kenya hold up the trophy at the Boston Marathon, Monday, April 15, 2024, vray sent about 30 Mas-
came in 30th in three previ- in Boston. sachusetts National Guard
ous Boston attempts. “Sev- Associated Press members off. Lt. Col. Paula
eral times I’ve dropped Reichert Karsten, one of the
out of the race before. last year. top American. Again, she way to Heartbreak Hill. He marchers, said she wanted
But today I won, so I’ve re- And he showed it on the found herself leading the spilled into the fence, flip- to be part of a “quintessen-
deemed myself.” course Monday, separat- race through the 30-kilome- ping sideways onto his left tial Massachusetts event.”
Hellen Obiri defended her ing himself from the pack ter mark, slapping hands as wheel, but quickly restored The start line was painted
title, outkicking Sharon in Ashland and opening a she ran past the Wellesley himself. to say “100 years in Hop-
Lokedi on Boylston Street lead of more than half of a College students chanting “It was my fault,” Hug said. kinton,” commemorating
to finish in 2:27:37 and win mile. her name before fading on “I had too much weight, the 1924 move from Ash-
by eight seconds; two-time Lemma ran the first half in the way out of Heartbreak too much pressure from land to Hopkinton to con-
Boston champion Edna Ki- 1:00:19 99 seconds fast- Hill. above to my steering, so I form to the official Olym-
plagat completed the Ke- er than Geoffrey Mutai’s “I thought last year was couldn’t steer.” pic Marathon distance.
nyan sweep, finishing an- course record pace in crazy loud, but this year sur- Hug finished in 1:15:33, win- The announcer welcomed
other 36 seconds back. 2011, when his 2:03:02 was passed that completely,” ning by 5:04 and breaking the gathering crowds to
Obiri also won New York last the fastest marathon in his- Bates said. his previous course record the “sleepy little town of
fall and is among the favor- tory. “It was such a nice day for by 1:33. Britain’s Eden Rain- Hopkinton, 364 days of the
ites for the Paris Olympics. Fellow Ethiopian Mohamed the spectators. Not so nice bow-Cooper, 22, won the year.”
She is the sixth woman to Esa closed the gap through for the runners; it was pretty women’s wheelchair race “In Hopkinton, it’s probably
win back-to-back in Boston the last few miles, finishing hot.” in 1:35:11 for her first major the coolest thing about the
and the first since Cath- second by 41 seconds; two- CJ Albertson of Fresno, Cal- marathon victory; she is the town,” said Maggie Agos-
erine “the Great” Ndereba time defending champion ifornia, was the top Ameri- third-youngest woman to to, a 16-year-old resident
won four in six years from Evans Chebet was third. can man in seventh, his win the Boston wheelchair who went to the start line
2000 to ‘05. Each winner collected a second top-10 finish. race. with a friend to watch the
“Defending the title was gilded olive wreath and Switzerland’s Marcel Hug The otherwise sleepy New race.
not easy. Since Boston $150,000 from a total prize righted himself after crash- England town of Hopkinton The annual race on Patri-
started, it’s only six women. purse that topped $1 mil- ing into a barrier when he celebrated its 100th anni- ots’ Day, the state holiday
So I said, ‘Can I be one of lion for the first time. took a turn too fast and still versary as the starting line that commemorates the
them? If you want to be On a day when sunshine coasted to a course record for the world’s oldest and start of the Revolutionary
one of them, you have and temperatures rising in the men’s wheelchair most prestigious marathon, War, also fell on One Bos-
to work extra hard,’” she into the mid-60s left the run- race. sending off a field of 17 for- ton Day, when the city re-
said. “And I’m so happy ners reaching for water to It was his seventh Boston mer champions and nearly members the victims of the
because I’m now one of drink, and to dump over win and his 14th straight 30,000 other runners on its 2013 finish line bombings.
them. I’m now in the history their heads Obiri ran with major marathon victory. way. Before the race, bagpipes
books in Boston.” an unusually large lead Hug already had a four- Near the finish on Boylston accompanied Gov. Maura
Lemma, the 2021 London pack of 15 through Brook- minute lead about 18 Street 26.2 miles (42.2 ki- Healey, Boston Mayor Mi-
champion, arrived in Bos- line before breaking away miles in when he reached lometers) away, officials chelle Wu and members of
ton with the fastest time in in the final few miles. the landmark firehouse observed the anniversary the victims’ families as they
the field just the fourth per- Emma Bates of Boulder, turn in Newton, where the of the 2013 bombing that laid a pair of wreaths at the
son ever to break 2:02:00 Colorado, finished 12th her course heads onto Com- killed three and wounded sites of the explosions.q
when he won in Valencia second straight year as the monwealth Avenue on its hundreds more.