Kenyans win Istanbul, Saitama races

Kenya women reigned supreme in the Istanbul and Saitama marathon races on Sunday.

Agnes Barsosio won the women’s race in the Turkish capital in 2 hours, 28 minutes and 24 seconds, beating Ethiopians Sechale Adugna Dalasa and Rahma Tusa Chota to second and third places in 2:33.37 and 2:35.43 respectively.

Barsosio’s victory, the first in three years for Kenyan women, effectively brought an end Ethiopian dominance in the race. Rebecca Chesire had won the event for Kenya last in 2013.

Kenya born Evans Kiplagat from Azerbaijan claimed victory in men’s marathon in 2:13:28 seconds, beating Ethiopian Shura Kitata Tola to second as Kenya’s Peter Kiplagat settled for third.

Kenya’s Commonwealth Games marathon champion Flomena Cheyech pulled away from Ethiopian Amane Gobena after 25km to win the Saitama International Marathon, in a course race record of 2:23:18 in Japan.

“Today I’m very happy to win here as Japan is my second home,” said the 34-year-old Cheyech, who chalked her sixth career title and first in Japan, where she spent four years from 2007 running for the Uniqlo corporate team.

Gobena, affected by an upset stomach, held on to finish second in 2:25:58 in the second edition of the race. Kenya’s Monica Jepkoech was third in 2:28:56 and Ethiopian Atsede Habtamu fourth in 2:29:44.

“I have not won a marathon and not run such a time [for a while], so I’m very happy,” said Cheyech, who finished fifth in Tokyo and second in Amsterdam in 2015, and sixth in Boston earlier this year. “I prepared for this race for about five months.”

Cheyech shaved off compatriot Rebecca Chesir’s winning time of 2:29:11 last year by almost seven minutes.

Elsewhere, Kenya’s Edwin Kiptoo upset defending champion and compatriot Jackson Limo to win Beirut Marathon in 2:13:03 yesterday in Lebanese City.

Abebe Gizachew of Ethiopian came in second with a time of 2:14.06 was Limo completed the podium place finish in 2:15.02