Page 19 - ARUBA TODAY

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SPORTS Tuesday 16 april 2019

Kenya’s Cherono wins men’s Boston Marathon in sprint to tape

By JIMMY GOLEN American Jordan Hasay One year after an icy rain Lemi Berhanu Hayle. “I was ever men’s wheelchair
AP Sports Writer was third and Linden was and a near-gale headwind afraid of the guy who won champion in Boston, finish-
BOSTON (AP) — Two-time fifth. “Seeing Degefa go resulted in the slowest win- two years ago. After he ing in 1:21:36 for the fastest
Boston Marathon cham-
pion Lelisa Desisa turned
onto Boylston Street with a
sliver of a lead, leaning in
front of two other runners
with the finish line in sight.
Unfortunately for him, one
of them was the fastest
man in the field.
Lawrence Cherono need-
ed every bit of his speed
to outkick Desisa in a sprint
to the tape on Monday,
passing him just steps away
from the finish line to win
the 123rd Boston Marathon
in 2 hours, 7 minutes 57 sec-
onds.
Desisa, who won in 2015
and 2013, the year the race
was overshadowed by a
bombing at the finish line,
eased up after realizing he
was beaten and finished
2 seconds back. Kenneth
Kipkemoi was third, anoth-
er 8 seconds behind, one
of seven Kenyans in the top
10.
“It was no man’s race to Lawrence Cherono, of Kenya, hits the tape to win the 123rd Boston Marathon in front of Lelisa Desisa, of Ethiopia, right, on Monday,
win,” said Cherono, who April 15, 2019, in Boston.
had won in Seville, Prague, Associated Press
Honolulu and twice in Am-
sterdam but never in a out — you know her abil- ning times in four decades, dropped out, I decided to time ever for an American.
major marathon before. “I ity, you know what she’s race organizers again pre- win,” said Desisa, who did Manuela Schar won the
kept on focusing. And at done and you wonder how pared for the foul New not finish in either of the last women’s wheelchair race
the end, I was the winner. it translates to this course,” England weather. But over- two years. “I tried at the for the second time, add-
I’m so grateful, so happy.” Linden said. “But when she night thunderstorms moved last, I saw (Cherono) sud- ing it to her titles in in Ber-
Worknesh Degefa broke starts putting down those on before the runners left denly, then I couldn’t con- lin, Chicago, New York and
away from defending super quick miles, you say Hopkinton; the sun even trol the pace.” Tokyo. If she wins in London
champion Des Linden and ‘All right, this is her race made an appearance A field of 30,000 runners in two weeks, she will have
the rest of the women’s to lose.’ She becomes about halfway through. followed the elites, ditch- swept the World Marathon
pack in the Framingham the outlier and you let her Linden took advantage of ing their trash bags and Major series.
flats and ran alone for the just go and hope that she last year’s storm to splash ponchos on the Hopkin- “I was just really happy
last 20 miles to claim the might come back.” her way to the first win for ton Green before embark- that the weather turned
$150,000 first prize and a She didn’t. an American woman since ing on the 26.2-mile trek out to be actually really
gilded olive wreath from Instead, she became the 1985. But with conditions from Hopkinton to Copley nice,” said Schar, who set
Marathon, Greece. eighth Ethiopian woman to back to normal, so were Square. It’s the first time the a course record in 2017.
The 28-year-old Ethiopian, win the race and the third the results: East Africans race has been run on April “When we drove to that
who set a national record in seven years. A half mar- from Kenya and Ethiopia 15 since the 2013 attacks; starting line, it looked re-
while finishing second athon specialist, Degefa dominating the podiums. officials held a ceremony ally really bad and I was
in Dubai less than three had never seen the Boston At the 30K mark the lead at 2:49 p.m. to honor those worried because last year
months ago, won in 2:23:31. course before Monday. pack was still close to a killed and maimed by the was still in our heads, and
Kenya’s Edna Kiplagat was “Last year, I watched all dozen and included three two pressure cooker bombs I had a really bad expe-
second, reducing a gap of the marathon coverage,” of the last four champions: that exploded near the fin- rience last year. Today I
more than two minutes to she said. “I kept that in my Desisa, 2016 winner Geof- ish line. Daniel Romanchuk, would say (was) unfinished
42 seconds at the finish. mind.” frey Kirui and ‘17 champ 20, became the youngest- business.”q