Cherono pips Desisa to win Boston marathon with a dramatic finish
Sports Scene
["north america"]
Kenya's Lawrence Cherono won the iconic Boston Marathon after outsprinting Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa in a race that went down to the wire on Sunday. Cherono outpaced his Ethiopian rival in the final few meters of the grueling race to clinch a thrilling victory in damp, chilly conditions.
Earlier, Cherono, Desisa and Kenya's Kenneth Kipkemoi broke away from the field over the final few miles, setting up a dramatic final leg at the world's oldest major marathon.
Desisa, the 2013 World Champion and two-time former champion in Boston, was well on course for victory as he took the final surge in the final 200 meters. However, it was Cherono who perfectly timed his finish to a breath-taking perfection as he overhauled the grimacing Desisa just a few meters from Boston's famous Boylston Street finish line to claim a magnificent win in two hours, seven minutes and 57 seconds.
Interestingly, Cherono claimed the biggest win of his career in his very first appearance in the historic annual Marathon.
Men's winner Lawrence Cherono of Kenya (R) and women's winner Worknesh Degefa of Ethiopia celebrate after the 123rd running of the Boston Marathon on the sixth anniversary of the 2013 Boston marathon bombings in Boston, U.S., April 15, 2019. /Reuters Photo

Men's winner Lawrence Cherono of Kenya (R) and women's winner Worknesh Degefa of Ethiopia celebrate after the 123rd running of the Boston Marathon on the sixth anniversary of the 2013 Boston marathon bombings in Boston, U.S., April 15, 2019. /Reuters Photo

He said after the race, "It was so amazing because we started... until 30 kilometers, we are all group was there. So, it started to keep on the base until that 37 whereby we started to break the group and we went away. Until 38-40 kilometers we were two people, three people, so it was no man's race to win – but to me, I keep on focusing and, and at the end, I emerged the winner. So, I am so grateful, so happy."
Incidentally, the defending Boston champion, Yuki Kawauchi of Japan, had a disastrous day on the street as he crossed the finish line in 17th place.
Earlier, the women's race saw Ethiopia's Worknesh Degefa registering the biggest win of her career after leading almost from start to finish. 28-year-old Degefa kept the momentum going from the word go and pulled away to finish in two hours, 23 minutes and 31 seconds. However, she survived a scare as her pace slowed dramatically over the closing stages, allowing Kenya's Edna Kiplagat, the 2017 Boston champion, kicking hard in pursuit.
But although Kiplagat narrowed down the gap to around one minute with a couple of miles to go, Degefa eventually managed to hold on to her lead.
Kiplagat finished second while Jordan Hasay of the U.S. came third. Meanwhile, defending champion Desiree Linden of the United States was fifth. Degefa mentioned after her triumph, "Because if I stay longer at the finish, maybe I cannot make it. I knew that I have some speed, so I push myself after five miles (eight kilometers)."
(With agency input)