Legese retains Tokyo Marathon crown

Birhanu Legese of Ethiopia successfully defended his Tokyo Marathon crown in 2:04:15, while Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter took more than two minutes off the women’s course record, winning the World Athletics Platinum Label road race in 2:17:45 on Sunday (1).

Legese just missed the course record by 18 seconds, but the men’s race witnessed unprecedented depth with 17 men finishing inside 2:08 – including Suguru Osako, who held on to his Olympic qualifying place by breaking the Japanese record with 2:05:29 in fourth place. Salpeter, meanwhile, moves to sixth on the world all-time list.

Bashir Abdi came from behind to pass the faltering Lemma, finishing second to take 85 seconds off his own Belgian record with 2:04:49. Lemma was third in 2:04:51, but Mengestu faded to seventh. Getaneh Molla, owner of the fastest debut marathon in history, faded to 19th.

Read more at: Worldathletics.org