Kenya's Kipchoge adds London title to marathon collection

Eliud Kipchoge led a Kenyan clean sweep of the podium places as he won the men's London Marathon on Sunday in an unofficial time of two hours, four minutes and 41 seconds.

The final mile saw Kipchoge sprint clear of defending London champion Wilson Kipsang, with world record-holder Dennis Kimetto finishing in third place.

Victory saw Kicphoge add the London title to his wins in last year's Rotterdam and Chicago marathons.

His winning time on Sunday was well outside Kipsang's London record of 2hrs 04 mins and 29 secs set last year but as he smiled and waved to the crowd down the finishing straight, it was clear that victory meant more to Kipchoge than a fast time.

Kipsang's unofficial time of 2:04:47 would, if confirmed, make him the quickest-ever London runner-up, surpassing Stanley Biwott's 2:04:55 last year.

Kimetto came in third this year in an unofficial time of 2:05:50, with Biwott in fourth place.

Ethiopia's Tigist Tufa upset the formbook to win the women's race and end a four-year run of Kenyan success in the event.

Tufa, 28, broke clear from the pack and even had time to wave to the crowd down the finishing straight as she won in an unofficial time of two hours, 23 minutes and 22 seconds.

Mary Keitany, the winner of the race in 2011 and 2012, just did enough to hold off Tufa's compatriot, Tirfi Tsegaye, in the battle for second place.
Source: AFP