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Ramaala third in NY Marathon
04/11/2007 22:18 - (SA)
New York - Paula Radcliffe made a
triumphant return to marathon racing and Martin Lel reprised his
thrilling London victory to win at Sunday's New York City
Marathon.
Britain's world record holder Radcliffe, running her first
marathon in two years after taking a maternity break, beat Gete
Wami after a race-long duel with a time of two hours, 23
minutes, nine seconds.
There was some consolation for Ethiopian Wami, whose
runner-up finish clinched her a $500 000 prize for winning the
women's World Marathon Majors title based on points accumulated
in top marathons over the last two years.
Wami, winner of the Berlin Marathon 35 days ago, ran all the
way with Radcliffe and nudged ahead of her briefly before the
2004 champion pulled away in the last few hundred metres in
Central Park to win by 23 seconds.
Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia, winner of the last two New York
races, finished third in 2:26:13.
In the men's race, Lel of Kenya pulled away from Moroccan
Abderrahim Goumri in the last few hundred metres heading into
Central Park for victory in 2:09:04.
The 2003 New York winner, who outsprinted Goumri to win in
an exciting London finish earlier this year, was 12 seconds
ahead of the Moroccan.
Goumri was shoulder to shoulder with the Kenyan but could
not match his final kick.
Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, the 2004 champion,
finished third in 2:11:25.
The two New York marathon winners each collected a top prize
of $130 000 in a race started by 39 085 runners.
Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya, who won the Boston Marathon twice
in addition to the 2006 Chicago race during this two-year
period, had already wrapped up the first men's World Marathon
Majors crown to claim the $500 000 jackpot.
- Reuters
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