LONDON (BBC) – Ethiopia’s Tiki Gelana won gold in the London 2012 women’s marathon in an Olympic record time of two hours, 23 minutes and seven seconds.
Kenya’s Priscah Jeptoo claimed silver, five seconds behind, and Russia’s Tatyana Petrova came third for bronze.
Freya Murray, a late replacement for injured Paula Radcliffe, was the best placed Briton, 9:07 back in 44th place.
Team-mate Claire Hallissey was more than 12 minutes behind in 57th, while Mara Yamauchi quit just before 10km.
In winning, 24-year-old Gelana took seven seconds off the previous Olympic record and she had the faster finish as she crossed the line ahead of Jeptoo.
Petrova set a personal best of 2:23:29, while Kenya’s Mary Keitany – winner of the London marathon this year – had to settle for fourth after being dropped by the leading pack in the final stages.
“I’m not sure many people would have tipped Gelana,” said BBC commentator and former Olympic 1500m silver medallist Steve Cram.
“She wasn’t quite unknown, but to run in such a way was impressive. Gelana looked really relaxed until the last 200m-300m when she strained to reach the finish line.
“Once again, the Kenyans have had to play second fiddle to the Ethiopians, who were dancing with joy at the end.”
Murray, 28, was the first Scottish woman to represent Britain in an Olympic marathon since Liz McColgan at Atlanta in 1996.
“It was a brilliant experience for me and, hopefully, a stepping stone to Glasgow 2014 [Commonwealth Games] and Rio 2016 [Olympics],” she said.
“I just had to keep fit and when I got the call last Sunday I was devastated for Paula but excited. I feel I have justified my selection.”
Yamauchi, 38, was sixth in the 20008 Beijing Olympic marathon but has since struggled with injury.
She said: “I had a heel bruise that I thought I was able to run on. I was confident I could give it a go, but on the second corner it started hurting.
“I did my best and it is not good to drop out in your home Games.
“I didn’t want my Olympic journey to end like this. I thought about withdrawing beforehand and had much higher hopes. Sadly it wasn’t to be.”
Ethiopia’s Gelana wins women’s marathon
LONDON (AP) — Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia won the women’s Olympic marathon in a race that began in heavy rain, saw the sun briefly come out and ended in another downpour.
Gelana finished in 2 hours, 23.07 seconds Sunday, holding off Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya by five seconds. Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova of Russia captured the bronze.
There were four runners in a bunched pack over the last three miles. But with the finish line ahead, Gelana made her move, grimacing as she surged to the front. With the rain falling, she kept glancing over her shoulder to see if Jeptoo was gaining ground.
Gelana coasted in and raised her hands as she crossed the line, soaking in the moment.
Shalane Flanagan was the top U.S. finisher in 10th place.
