Kebede, Jeptoo win London Marathon titles

LONDON. Kenya’s Priscah Jeptoo took advantage of a dramatic fall by Olympic champion Tiki Gelana to win the London Marathon.

Monday, April 22, 2013
Jeptoo sunk to her knees to give thanks after crossing the line. Net photo.

Men’s results1.     Tsegaye Kebede (Ethiopia) 2:06:042.    Emmanuel Kipchirchir Mutai (Kenya) 2:06:333.    Ayele Abshero (Ethiopia) 2:06:574.    Feyisa Lilesa (Ethiopia) 2:07:465.    Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich (Kenya) 2:07:476.     Stephen Kiprotich (Uganda) 2:08:05Women’s results1.     Priscah Jeptoo (Kenya) 2:20:152.     Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat (Kenya) 2:21:323.    Yukiko Akaba (Japan) 2:24:434.    Atsede Baysa (Ethiopia) 2:25:145.    Meselech Melkamu (Ethiopia) 2:25:466.    Florence Kiplagat (Kenya) 2:27:05LONDON. Kenya’s Priscah Jeptoo took advantage of a dramatic fall by Olympic champion Tiki Gelana to win the London Marathon.In the men’s race, Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede overhauled 2011 champion Emmanuel Mutai in the closing stages for his second win in 2:06:04.After Gelana was involved in a collision with Canadian wheelchair racer Josh Cassidy, Jeptoo won in two hours, 20 minutes and 15 seconds.With Gelana out of contention, Jeptoo, the 2012 Olympic silver medallist, pulled clear to take victory ahead of compatriot Edna Kiplagat and Japan’s Yoko Shibui."Today I’m very, very happy, I couldn’t believe I could be the winner,” Jeptoo told BBC Sport. "It is a very tough race because everybody who comes here is really prepared.”In the men’s elite race, Mutai looked to have built a winning lead after Great Britain’s double Olympic champion Mo Farah withdrew as planned at the halfway stage.But, with around 1km remaining, Kebede, who was controversially omitted from the Ethiopia team for the 2012 Olympics, breezed past unchallenged to repeat his London success of 2010.Ethiopian Ayele Abshero finished third, with Olympic champion Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda sixth.London paid tribute to the victims of the bombings, with a 30-second silence observed before the start of the men’s elite and mass races.