18 AprilNAGANO, Japan, (AP) _ Jackson Kabiga of Kenya won the men's race and Barcelona Olympic gold medalist Valentina Yegorova of Russia took the women's title in the inaugural Nagano Olympic memorial marathon Sunday.
Kabiya covered the 42.195-kilometre course in 2:13:26.
Shinji Kawashima of Japan was second in 2:13:38, followed by Katsuya Natsume of Japan in 2:16:59 and Donglin Zahn of China in 2:16:59.
Kabiya, winner of the 1998 Fukuoka International marathon, pulled away from the pack after six kilometres (3.7 miles) and went on to win the race.
In the women's competition, Yegorova won the race in 2:28:41.
Elfinesh Alemu of Ethiopia was second in 2:28.59 and Malgorzata Sobanska of Poland was third in 2:31:02.
Yegorova and Alemu ran shoulder-to-shoulder before Yegorova went ahead in the last two kilometers (1.2 miles) to win the race.
A total of 4,306 men and women competed in the first Nagano Olympic memorial marathon held in a course from the town of Yamanouchi to the Minami Nagano Sports park where the Nagano Olympic opening and closing ceremonies were held in February, 1998.
Leading results
Men 1. Jackson Kabiga, (KEN), 2:13:26 |
Women 1. Valentina Yegorova, (RUS), 2:28:41. 2. Elfinesh Alemu, (ETH), 2:28:59. 3. Malgorzata Sobanska, (POL), 2:31:02. 4. Xiujuan Ren, (CHN), 2:33:58. 5. Heather Turland, (AUS), 2:36:26. 6. Adriana Barbu, (ROM), 2:36:29. 7. Olaru Nuta, (ROM), 2:37:39. 8. Sachiyo Seiyama , (JPN), 2:37:45. 9. Izabella Zatorska, (POL), 2:41:07. 10. Tamaki Okuno, (JPN), 2:42:02. |