(Eugene) The Ethiopian Gotytom Gebreslase was crowned world champion in the marathon in 2 h 18 min 11 sec, a personal best, ahead of the Kenyan Judith Jeptum Korir and the Israeli Lonah Chemtai Salpeter in Eugene (Oregon) on Monday.
Posted at 12:23 p.m.
At 27, Gebreslase won his first major title, with a World Championship record, the day after the Ethiopian victory in the men’s marathon, with Tamirat Tola. Korir and Salpeter are also on the world podium for the first time.
The outgoing world champion, Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich, retired before the halfway point due to intestinal problems.
Gebreslase, alone in the lead with Korir at the start of the last of the three 14 km loops, broke company in the 41e kilometer to the Kenyan, finally second in 2 h 18 min 20 sec.
The race, which started at 6:15 a.m. local time, got off to a breakneck pace. So that after only five kilometers, there was already only a group of eight runners at the front, with three Kenyans and three Ethiopians in particular, plus Salpeter. At the passage of ten kilometers, this group had more than thirty seconds ahead of the closest pursuer.
It halved again before the halfway mark. And Gebreslase and Korir defeated the Kenyan Angela Tanui, then the Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh before starting the last loop.
A time behind, Salpeter made a nice comeback to take bronze in 2 h 20 min 18 sec, just over two minutes behind the winner of the day.
Only one marathoner ranked in the Olympic top 20 last summer in Sapporo, northern Japan, was at the start on Monday morning.