Kenyan Jemima Jelagat Sumgong won gold in the women's marathon on Sunday in two hours, 24 minutes and four seconds after an aggressive and pre-planned surge in the final kilometres, becoming the first Kenyan woman to take the title. Bahrain's Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa claimed silver in 2:24:13 and Ethiopian Mare Dibaba snatched the bronze in 2:24:30.
Sumgong, 31, bided her time throughout the race, staying with the leading pack and not moving ahead until the end.
"I had prepared that I would move out at kilometre 35 and my body was responding very well, as well as my movement," Sumgong told reporters after crossing the line at Rio's Sambadrome, the parade ground where brightly costumed samba schools perform during the city's annual Carnival celebration. "At the 40 kilometre I knew the gold was mine."
Comments
Comments are closed.