(Reuters) – Kenyan Evans Chebet retained his Boston Marathon title on Monday, overcoming a talented men’s field in two hours, five minutes and 54 seconds, as two-times Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge failed to reach the podium.
Tanzanian Gabriel Geay finished 10 seconds behind Chebet while Kenya’s Benson Kipruto, the champion in 2021, took third in 2:06:06.
Chebet, who also won in New York last year, made his break after the 35-kilometre mark but Geay refused to go down without a fight, and Kipruto caught up by the 40-kilometre mark to make it a three-man race.
But with a mile to go, Chebet had established an unassailable lead and was all on his own as he crossed the finish to roars from the crowd, becoming the first man since 2008 to retain his Boston crown.
World record-holder Kipchoge was among the biggest attractions at the World Marathon Major but lost his momentum around the halfway mark and finished sixth.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
