Athletics: Kenyans Jepchirchir, Chebet win Boston Marathon

BOSTON (REUTERS) - Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir put on a thrilling sprint finish to win the women's Boston Marathon on Monday (April 18), as fellow Kenyan Evans Chebet dominated a stellar field to claim the men's title.

With 1.6km remaining, Jepchirchir moved ahead of Ababel Yeshaneh but the Ethiopian refused to concede and retook the lead before the pair battled down the final stretch.

Jepchirchir, who won in New York in November, needed every ounce of energy to break the tape in 2hr 21min 1sec, four seconds ahead of her rival.

"Above all, I was feeling she was strong and I pushed it, I feel I'm tired. I go behind, but I didn't lose hope,"Jepchirchir told reporters. "The course is tough but thank God I managed to win the race."

Kenyan Mary Ngugi finished third.

The win confirmed Jepchirchir as among the most dominant marathon runners of all time, as she became the first athlete to claim Olympic gold along with the Boston and New York titles.

Chebet picked up his first major victory in 2:06:51, with compatriots Lawrence Cherono and Benson Kipruto second and third.

A huge leading pack stuck together through 35km before Chebet pulled away, securing an 18-second advantage over 2019 winner Cherono with less than 2km left.

The bells of the Old South Church rang and a roar came up from the crowd along Boylston Street as he ran towards the finish line.

"At the beginning I was not confident, I didn't know that I would come out as the winner," Chebet told reporters.

"When I went to London, I came in position four. And when I went to Paris, I was in position four. Today, I am really happy that I am actually the winner."

The race started in Hopkington in perfect conditions with temperatures hovering around (10 deg C as the world's oldest annual marathon returned to its traditional spring date for the first time in three years following the pandemic.

The fastest field in the race's history took off on Boston's festive "Patriots Day" holiday with the Red Sox playing at Fenway Park and plenty for New England sports fans to celebrate after the Celtics won their NBA play-off opener on Sunday.

The wheelchair races featured dominant performances from two of the sport's most reliable podium finishers.

Tokyo Paralympic marathon silver medallist Manuela Schar of Switzerland retained her title in the women's race, seizing the early lead before breaking the tape in 1:41:08.

American Daniel Romanchuk pulled away from compatriot Aaron Pike by the 20km mark, crossing the finish line in 1:26:58 to pick up his second Boston title.

"The crowd was amazing. We start earlier than the runners but everyone was out there screaming so that helped me a lot today," said Schar. "It's amazing to be back racing on Patriots Day."