Boston bound: Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot tears apart Boston Marathon record

DAILY NATION WRITES

Kenya’s Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot easily won the Boston Marathon men’s race in a course record time on Monday.

Cheruiyot clocked two hours, five minutes and 52 seconds to beat Ethiopians Tekeste Kebede and defending champion Deriba Merga. American Ryan Hall finished fourth.

And what’s more, Cheruiyot even broke the course record, running 82 seconds faster than the record set back in 2006 by four-time winner and name-sake, Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (no relation).

By becoming the 2010 Boston Marathon champion, Kiprono Cheruiyot won the first prize of $150,000 (Sh11.5 million), and an extra $25,000 (Sh2 million) for setting a new course record. He managed to finish 91 seconds ahead of Kebede.

Defending champion Deriba Merga came in third place, while American runners Hall and Meb Keflezighi finished off the top five.

The winner of the women’s race was Ehiopia’s Teyba Erkesso with a time of 2:26:11. It was a very close finish in the women’s race, however, with Erkesso only managing to out-sprint Russia’s Tatyana Pushkareva by three seconds. It was in fact the third-closest women’s finish in the event’s history.

Kenya’s previous winner Salina Kosgei was third.

Athletics Kenya congratulated Cheruiyot for the win, saying he’s one to watch.

“He did well in Boston last year and he has progressed well in the marathon. He’s definitely in the league of Olympic champion Samuel Wanjiru and Patrick Makau, who last weekend set the season’s fastest marathon time in Rotterdam,” said AK public relations officer, Peter Angwenyi. “Cheruiyot is among the favourites to beat the world record in the marathon.”

Results of the Boston marathon: Men: 1. Robert Cheruiyot (Kenya) 2hrs 05mins 52secs 2. Tekeste Kebede (Ethiopia) 2:07:23 3. Deriba Merga (Ethiopia) 2:08:39 4. Ryan Hall (U.S.) 2:08:41 5. Meb Keflezighi (U.S.) 2:09:26 6. Gashaw Asfaw (Ethiopia) 2:10:53 7. John Komen (Kenya) 2:11:48 8. Moses Kigen (Kenya) 2:12:04 9. Jason Lehmkuhle (U.S.) 2:12:24 10. Alejandro Suarez (Mexico) 2:12:33; Women: 1. Teyba Erkesso (Ethiopia) 2hrs 26mins 11secs 2. Tatyana Pushkareva (Russia) 2:26:14 3. Salina Kosgei (Kenya) 2:28:35 4. Waynishet Girma Tafa (Ethiopia) 2:28:36 5. Bruna Genovese (Italy) 2:29:12 6. Lidiya Grigoryeva (Russia) 2:30:31 7. Yurika Nakamura (Japan) 2:30:40 8. Sun Weiwei (China) 2:31:14 9. Nailya Yulamanova (Russia) 2:31:48 10. Albina Ivanova (Russia) 2:31:55. (Agencies)