NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 18 – Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir put up a sensational sprint finish to beat Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh to the Boston Marathon women’s title, clocking 2hrs, 21mins and 2secs.
The race was narrowed down to two; Peres and Yeshaneh after the leading pack dropped off, Joyciline Jepkosgei having been unable to keep up with the pace.
The two changed leads in the final two kilometres, but it was the Olympic champion who had the gas and energy to push on in the final 400m as she ensured she sprinted off to victory.
Kenya’s Mary Ngugi was third while the ever green Edna Kiplagat finished fourth.
“I am very excited because I wasn’t expecting this because the course is very tough. But I am thankful I managed to win the race. I knew Ababel was strong and at some point I felt tired and started going behind, But I didn’t lose hope and I kept fighting. I am grateful it paid off,” Peres added.
She has now won all her last three marathons; The Olympic Games, the New York Marathon and now the Boston Marathon.
Joyciline Jepkosgei who had stuck on Ababel and Peres all through the race and dropped out after 35km finished seventh in 2:24:43.
Kenyans occupied all but one of the top seven places with Monicah Ngige and Viola Lagat coming in fifth and sixth respectively.
After a conservative start that saw a lead women’s group of 24 athletes pass 5km in 17:41, the pace picked up and an 11-strong pack – led by Jepkosgei, Jepchirchir, Yeshaneh and Ngugi – broke away.
Jepkosgei and Jepchirchir seemed in control half an hour into the race, running side-by-side to the fore. They led that pack through 10km in 34:21.
The 15km mark was reached in 50:10, with the chase group featuring Ngugi, Kiplagat, Viola Cheptoo, Monicah Ngige and Etagegn Woldu 10 seconds back.
After that 15:49 5km split from 10km to 15km, the lead pace proved too much for Azimeraw and she was dropped soon after, with Kiplagat, Ngugi, Cheptoo and Ngige chasing her down.
As the battle intensified, Jepkosgei, Jepchirchir and Yeshaneh were under course record pace through half way, clocking 1:09:41. The 25km mark was passed in 1:22:20, with the five-strong chase group just over a minute back.
The advantage of the front trio – Jepchirchir and Yeshaneh running together and Jepkosgei slightly detached to their left – had increased to 1:13 by 30km (1:39:20), with Kiplagat, Ngige and Ngugi having dropped Cheptoo and Azimeraw.
Jepchirchir, Yeshaneh and Jepkosgei remained together through 35km in 1:56:46 but Jepkosgei began to struggle and was dropped. Yeshaneh and Jepchirchir forged ahead and passed 40km in 2:13:39, with Ngugi and Kiplagat running together 38 seconds behind them.
-Additional reporting from World Athletics
