Kipruto claims victory in London Marathon on his debut

Kenya has regained the men's London Marathon title after former world marathon bronze medalist Amos Kipruto stormed to victory in the 42nd edition held on Sunday.

The 30-year old clocked 2:04:39 to dethrone Sisay Lemma who relinquished his title after finishing fourth..

Kipruto who was making his debut in London and the only Kenyan athlete lining up in the rich field will be glad to have won his first major marathon.

Ethiopia's Leul Gebresilase finished second after timing 2:05;12 while Olympic bronze medalist Abdi Bashir of Belgium came in third after 2:05:19.

Legendary marathoner Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia who the second fastest runner over the distance finished fifth after two hours, five minutes and fifty three seconds.

Prior to Kipruto's win, Ethiopians had dominated with Lemma and Shura Kitata who did not line on Sunday winning the past two editions.

Kipruto who represented the country in the delayed 2020 Olympics made his intention known with seven kilometres to go, pulling off from the pack and gradually accelerating to outdistance them.

Reacting to the win, Kipruto termed the race as tough considering that he was a lone ranger who was tucked in between Ethiopian athletes.

He however admitted that the motivation from his family and the kind of training he underwent made the difference.

"It was a tough race as I did not have luxury of team spirit unlike the rest. I was under pressure for I was sure Kenyans had invested hopes in me. The preparations have been good for I have been training for close to six months. My family backed me and thus I had the right motivations," he said shortly after the race.

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Having joined the marathon's big table, Kipruto rubbished off suggestions that he will have it rough when rubbing shoulders with the big boys.

" Of course there will be pressure but I have confidence that I will do well in the next races. I believe in my training and partners and have the right attitude," he added.

Meanwhile, after losing to Kipruto who finished second in the Tokyo Marathon in March, Bekele regretted the missed bits in training for the fifth place finish.

"It was a tough race for I did not achieve what I had anticipated for. It was a little bit humid and windy and thus, I was not comfortable. My preparation was not really perfect as I missed some training in the build up," he said.