LONDON: Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw stormed to victory in Sunday’s women’s London marathon ahead of last year’s winner Joyciline Jepkosgei.
Yehualaw, 23, only ran her first competitive marathon in Germany in April and won it with the fastest debut time in history and an Ethiopian record, and she lightened the field in London.
In the absence of world record holder and two-time London Marathon winner Brigid Kosgei, who was out with a hamstring injury, seven women had broken away by half-time, led by Ethiopian Ashete Bekere.
One by one the leading group dropped out, with Yehualaw, who fell at the 33km mark, and Kenya’s Jepkosgei picking up the pace to open a gap to the peloton with fivekm to go.
Yehualaw established a commanding lead in the closing stages and crossed the finish line in two hours, 17 minutes and 25 seconds ahead of Jepkosgei and Alemu Megertu of Ethiopia in third place.