Tokyo, 05 March, /AJMEDIA/
TOKYO – Ethiopia’s Deso Gelmisa outsprinted compatriot Mohamed Esa down the final stretch to claim a thrilling victory in Sunday’s Tokyo Marathon.
The 25-year-old Gelmisa clocked a winning time of 2 hours, 5 minutes and 22 seconds as he crossed the finish line in the capital’s Marunouchi district less than a second ahead of Esa.
Tsegaye Getachew was three seconds off the pace as he completed a men’s podium sweep for Ethiopia.
Paris Olympics hopeful Ichitaka Yamashita was the first Japanese runner home, finishing seventh in 2:05:51, while sixth-place Tokyo Olympic finisher Suguru Osako was ninth in 2:06:13.
Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru won the women’s race in 2:16:28, while Mizuki Matsuda was the first Japanese woman across the line, finishing sixth in 2:21:44.