Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia wins London Marathon

Tsegaye Kebede Tsegaye of Ethiopia raises his arms in victory as he crosses the finish line to win the men’s London Marathon, Sunday, April 21, 2013. PHOTO/Alastair Grant/AP

Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede and Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya triumphed at a sombre London Marathon on Sunday, as runners paid tribute to the victims of the deadly bomb attacks at the Boston Marathon.

Kebede hunted down 2011 champion Emmanuel Mutai to win the men’s race, while Jeptoo surged to victory in the women’s event, eight months on from her second-place finish at the London Olympics.

The men’s and mass start races were preceded by a 30-second silence in memory of the three people killed and around 180 injured in Monday’s bombings in Boston, while competitors donned black ribbons as tribute.

After a frenetic start in the men’s race, Mutai led Stanley Biwott, Feyisha Lilesa and Ayele Abshero past the 30 kilometer mark just 10 seconds outside world-record pace. Biwott tried to force the issue, but Mutai resisted his Kenyan countryman’s efforts to break clear and found himself in the lead. However, he began to flag as he approached the Houses of Parliament, and Kebede tore past him to cross the line in a time of 2hr 06min 03sec.

Copyright 2013 AFP