adminBOSTON. – Geoffrey Kirui and Edna Kiplagat led a Kenyan clean sweep at the 121st Boston Marathon on Monday, both timing late bursts to perfection to claim the men’s and women’s races of the prestigious event.
Kirui (24) produced a devastating sprint with four miles to go to settle an enthralling tactical battle with American rival Galen Rupp, the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist. Kirui waved and smiled as he took the tape in a time of 2hr 9min 37sec, with Rupp finishing in second.
It was a masterful performance from the young Kenyan, who made his move with a 4:52 mile at the 22-mile mark that saw him pull clear of Rupp.
Rupp battled desperately to stay in touch but was unable to respond as Kirui kept the pace up to leave the Oregon-based American in second in 2:09:58. Japan’s Suguru Osako was third in 2:10:28.
Kirui’s time was well outside the world marathon record of 2:02:57 set by Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto in Berlin in 2014. Kirui later revealed he had pulled clear of Rupp after deciding to “test” his own finishing power.
“I saw he (Rupp) was a strong guy. Not easy,” Kirui said. “So I tried to push a little bit to test myself. And I saw that he had not come with me, so I pushed a little bit more.” – AFP.
Online Reporter