Helen Obiri notches first marathon victory in Boston

ATHLETICS Helen Obiri notches first marathon victory in Boston

Kiplagat Sang • 19:20 - 17.04.2023

Her 2:21:38 record is the fourth-fastest winning time in history.

Kenya’s legendary runner Hellen Obiri is the winner of the Boston Women's Marathon after clocking 2:21:38.

Ethiopia’s Amane Beriso became second in 2:21:50; Lonah Salpeter of Israel was third in 2:21:57.

Meanwhile, at the 30-kilometer mark, the women’s race was still waiting for its critical moment. The pack was still at 11, with America’s Emma Bates leading the way.

Lonah Salpeter, Emma Bates, Hiwot Gebremaryam, and Hellen Obiri were neck and neck when the race hit 21 miles in a group of about eight.

With about 15 minutes to go, the leading group comprised Obiri, Salpeter, Ababel Yeshaneh, Amane Beriso, and Joyciline Jepkosgei. Yeshaneh fell but got up quickly and made a big recovery to catch up with the leading pack.

With two miles to go, Jepkosgei dropped away from the leaders, but Bates was hanging in there.

At 24 miles, Salpeter was leading the pack of five and Bates was second.

With around a kilometer to go, it was all down to Obiri and Beriso. Obiri was visibly not satisfied by her closest challenger, who was just running behind her. She attempted to create space between her and Beriso and succeeded, but the Ethiopian persisted.

Although at times she fell behind the pack, Obiri ultimately held off the competition to win the race. Obiri, a 33-year-old Kenyan and two-time Olympic silver medalist on the track - led that group for most of the way.

She made her marathon debut in 2022 when she ran at the New York City Marathon and took the sixth position.

Although she made herself famous on the track by winning silver medals in the 5000-meter events at both the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2021 Tokyo Games, she showed resilience as the Boston Marathon hits the homestretch and pulled away to her victory.

The cash prize for the winner, both men and women, is set at $150,000 (Ksh20 million).

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