Kenya's Birech wins Rome marathon

Kenyan Cosmas-Jairus Kipchoge Birech won the Rome marathon on Sunday with Ethiopian Rahma Tusa winning the women's race for the third straight year.

Kipchoge clocked 2hr 08min 03sec in the Italian capital to finish just ahead of Bahraini Abdi Ibrahim with another Kenyan Paul Kangogo third.

Tusa, 24, clocked 2hr 23min 46sec in the women's race with Bahrain's Dalila Gosa three minutes behind and Kenya's Alice Kibor in third.

It was also a good day for Kenyans in Rotterdam as Kenneth Kipkemoi and Visiline Jepkesho dominated to win their respective races during the 38th edition of the race in the Netherlands.

Kipkemoi clocked 2 hours, 05 minutes and 44 seconds to win and locked out Ethiopians Abera Kuma and Kelkile Gezahegn from the top podium place.

Kuma, the 2015 winner was forced to settle second in 2:05:50, beating Gezahegn to third place by sevens second in 2:05:57.

Kenya’s Laban Korir came in fourth in 2:05:58 followed by the 2016 champion Marius Kipserem in 2:07:22.

Under sunny circumstances, the 33-year-old Kipkemoi finished solo on the Coolsingel Street in his European marathon debut.

After the start at the Erasmus Bridge, a group of 14 athletes distanced themselves from the rest and halfway, there were 10 leaders left.

In the final kilometers, Kipkemoi proved to be the best to edge out Kuma and Kelkile.

Jepkesho, the 2016 Paris Marathon champion, ended Kenyan women’s long drought at the championship, winning her race in 2:23:47, missing the course record of 2:23:27 held by disgraced doper Jemima Sumgong by 20 seconds.

Sumgong set it in 2013 and was the last Kenyan to win the same year.