Bekele wins Berlin marathon, but misses record
AFP
AFP, BERLIN: Kenenisa Bekele admitted he was disappointed to have missed the world record by six seconds on Sunday as the Ethiopian won the Berlin marathon ahead of former winner Wilson Kipsang.
The ex-Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion crossed the finish line in an official time of two hours 03min 03sec -- just short of Dennis Kimettos world record of 2:02:57 set here in 2014.
In the womens race, Aberu Kebede, claimed her third Berlin win, in 2:20:45 ahead of Birhane Dibaba, who finished 3:13 minutes back, and Ruti Aga at 3:57 in an Ethiopian sweep.
Bekeles time was an Ethiopian national record and he took two minutes off his personal best.
It went according to plan, said Bekele, who finished third at this years London marathon.
I wanted to beat my personal best. I ran a fantastic time, but Im just a little disappointed to miss the world record by a few seconds.
Bekele pocketed 70,000 euros ($78,585) for winning the race, but those six seconds cost him the 50,000 bonus he would have landed had the world record fallen.
Kipsang, who won the 2013 Berlin Marathon in a then-world record time, finished ten seconds back in 2:03:13 and fellow Kenyan Evans Chebet took third in 2:05:31.
I am happy to have run a personal best and he (Bekele) ran a fantastic race, said Kipsang, who ran ten seconds faster than the 2:03:23 then-world record he ran here three years ago.
I am also a bit disappointed to have missed the world record, but I have to congratulate him. We will have to come back and try again for the world record next year.
