Jemima Sumgong wins Rio Olympic marathon

Jemima Sumgong is a strong competitor. At April’s London Marathon she recovered from a heavy fall to take the title and on the streets of Rio on Sunday she battled hot conditions, tight turns and a top field to claim Kenya’s very first women’s Olympic marathon gold.

Having formed part of the lead group throughout, the 31-year-old saved enough for a final surge which saw her pull clear ahead of Bahrain’s Eunice Kirwa and Ethiopia’s Mare Dibaba in the last couple of kilometres. Clocking 2:24:04, Sumgong won Kenya’s first gold of the 2016 Games to beat Kirwa by nine seconds, with world champion Dibaba a further 17 seconds back.

With her win, Sumgong went one better than Kenya’s past three consecutive silvers claimed by Catherine Ndereba in 2004 and 2008 and Priscah Jeptoo in 2012 in this event, recording splits of 72:57 and 71:07 on her way to victory.

“I am very …

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