Hellen Obiri's triumph in Boston enough to make Olympics cut?

In what was a slow-burner of a marathon Monday evening in Boston, Kenya finally had a moment of their own, and perhaps what they wished, just as the leading women crossed the 38km mark.

Correctly called on commentary as “a race within a race”, two of Kenya’s leading women in marathon - Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi - were left out on their own - or they did it themselves after dropping the last woman hanging on their coattails in the impressive 44-year-old Edna Kiplagat - as they engaged in near-sprint fashion to the finish line.

One race was definitely cutting the tape at Boylston Street, but the other, admittedly playing in the heads of the duo as they turned heads, exchanged leads, and went hammer and tongs at each other for the next four minutes, was setting up a compelling argument to lining up in Paris for the Olympics.

With Kenya women’s marathon team for the Summer Games whittled from ten to six earlier this month, a thought among athletics enthusiasts was that a final squad of three by Athletics Kenya would boil down to minute details.

And so here were two of the headliners, hitting an impressive 4:41 24th mile split in arguably the hardest course in the world's major marathons.

Soon after passing through 40km together in 2:15:54, Obiri glanced, then made her move - like she did to outkick Ethiopia's Beriso Amane in the last mile last year - leaving Lokedi in her wake as she began her drive home.

And while Lokedi, a New York Marathon champion in 2022, still remained in her sights, Obiri seemed to soak in the fan adulation all along the remaining stretch, twice lifting her thumbs up, before defending her title in 2:22:37.

Lokedi was through eight seconds later in second, clocking as Kiplagat held on to third place clocking 2:23:21.

“Winning is something very precious to me. It was not easy but I came here to cement my place in Team Kenya at the Olympics and that kept me pushing,” Obiri, who ran straight to her family at the finish line said.

It was little wonder then, that her response set up the cue for more questions from the press afterwards.

In regards to her place on the plane to Paris, maybe one would wonder:

“What else could match this rising marathon star becoming only the sixth woman to defend her Boston marathon crown?

“What else could match three consecutive wins in the world majors?

“What other intriguing storyline comes close to a loyal servant, who’s never let Kenya down - be it indoors, outdoors, and at cross country - finally getting her chance to potentially stand atop the podium with her first Olympic gold medal strapped around her neck?”

Dream come true, possible last throw of dice for Obiri in Paris Olympics

Obiri, in her response, however, threw a curve ball saying: “In Kenya, we don’t know yet because we were ten and now we are six. Sharon [Lokedi] was there with me and I hope that we will be together in the team in Paris.

“Paris is obviously a tough course, even tougher than Boston and I believe that having her [Lokedi] as my teammate will be a fantastic moment like I had racing with her today.

“I do think the Kenyan team (AK) are going to consider Sharon and I.”

With that, heads are set to roll once again - maybe in the aftermath of a London Marathon blockbuster - on who joins the one (or maybe two) who have done a convincing-enough job.

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