Deso Gelmisa of Ethiopia triumphed in an exciting finish-line sprint with fellow countryman Mohamed Esa on Sunday in the men’s division of the Tokyo Marathon.
Deso Gelmisa beat fellow countryman Mohamed Esa by one second as he passed the finish line in 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 22 seconds to win his first World Marathon. Tsegaye Getachew of Ethiopia finished third, three seconds later, to secure an African clean sweep.
At the 39-kilometer point, Canadian Cam Levins was leading a pack of five competitors, but Gelmisa pulled away with 400 metres to go to win.
At the flat Tokyo track, Levins placed fifth in 2:05:36, breaking the previous North American record of 2:05:38.
The Ethiopian Tsehay Gemechu lost the women’s run by 28 seconds as Wanjiru crossed the finish line first for her first major win. The runner-up from the previous year, Ashete Bekeri, came in third, 2:43 behind Wanjiru.