London, England (My Sportsbook) - Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru held off a pair of combatants to break the course record in the men's London Marathon on Sunday. Wanjiru finished in 2:05:10 to top compatriot and defending champion Martin Lel's course record by five seconds. Lel, who was vying for a fourth London crown, was forced to withdraw on Saturday because of a right hip injury. Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia was 10 seconds off the pace, while Moroccan Jaouad Gharib crossed the finish line seven seconds later to take third place. Germany's Irina Mikitenko captured the women's title for the second consecutive year with a time of 2:22:11. Mara Yamauchi of Britain finished 61 seconds behind Mikitenko, and Russian Liliya Shobukova was third in 2:24:24. Mikitenko, who won the third marathon of her career, became the first woman since Paula Radcliffe in 2003 to retain her London title. |
