Berlin World Championships 2009: Kirui wins Mens Marathon

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• Abel Kirui wins the World Championship marathon in 2:06:55, a Championship record.
• Here comes Mutai, silver in 2:07:48.
• Here comes Kebede for the bronze. Kebede 2:08:35.
• Tsegay just seven seconds back for fourth.
• Yes, it looks like Cheruiyot for fifth. Here he comes: 2:10:46.
• Sixth will be a Japanese runner: Atushi Sato. Well done in the last half for Sato. 
• Seventh for Ennani of Morocco
• Four runners. This will be close. Martinez of Spain, eighth. Moreira and Feiteira of Portugal, 9th and 10th. Shimizu of Japan 11th.

It was a Kenyan one-two as Abel Kirui won the the event with a new championship record of 2:06:55. Not entirely expected, he was the fastest man entering the race with a 2:05:04 PB, which was the 6th fastest time ever run in a marathon, and that too achieved very recently finishing 3rd in the Rotterdam Marathon 2009, the race which many people consider the overall fastest marathon ever run.

Countryman Mutai was second in 2:07:48, while the bronze medalist from the Beijing Olympics, Ethiopian Tsegay Kebede was third. Ethiopian Deriba Merga, a key contender for a medal, was 3rd at the 35KM mark, sharing the lead with others in the initial stages, but faded badly towards the end. The half-way mark was reached in 1:03:03, which was the fastest half-way time ever at the championships, and the record of 2:08:31 of Jaouad Gharib always looked susceptible from that point on.

Result Summary:

1. Abel Kirui KEN 2:06:54 (CR)
2. Emmanuel Mutai KEN 2:07:48
3. Tsegay Kebede ETH 2:08:35
4. Yemane Tsegay ETH 2:08:42
5. Robert Cheruiyot KEN 2:10:46 (SB)
6. Atsushi Sato JPN 2:12:05
7. Adil Ennani MAR 2:12:12
8. José Martínez ESP 2:14:04 (SB)
9. José Moreira POR 2:14:05 (PB)
10. Luís Feiteira POR 2:14:06

More coverage from Berlin World Championships:

• Mens and Womens Marathon Preview
• Mens 100M – Usain Bolt WR
• Mens 200M – Usain Bolt WR
• Mens Marathon coverage
• Womens Marathon coverage

Tagged as: Berlin