Kenya confirm marathon dominance

Three-times London champion Martin Lel of Kenya finished second for the second year in a row, just ahead of Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede

Kenya confirmed they are poised to dominate this year's Olympic marathons by winning the London men's and women's events on Sunday and taking five of the six podium positions for the second year in succession.
Wilson Kipsang finished four seconds outside the men's course record with a time of two hours four minutes 44 seconds after Mary Kietany had retained the women's title in an African record 2:18:37.
The race served as a Kenyan trial for this year's London Games with the east African nation's overall supremacy such that any combination of the 11 athletes who started on Sunday could conceivably sweep the medals in both the men and women's events.
Last year, Kenyan men won all six world marathon major titles, sweeping the medals in three, and setting course records in London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York.
Patrick Makau reduced Haile Gebrselassie's world record by 21 seconds to 2:03:38 in Berlin and Kipsang clocked 2:03:42 shortly afterwards in Frankfurt.
With such a depth of talent available, the burning question after Sunday's races was which six athletes the Kenyan selectors would choose.
In the men's race three times champion Martin Lel grabbed second place in a frenzied sprint for the line with Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede while twice world champion Abel Kirui finished sixth after looking certain to clinch a top three finish.
Defending champion Emmanuel Mutai, who set the course record of 2:04:40 last year, finished one place behind Kirui after Makau had dropped out with a hamstring injury at 16 kms.
In the women's event, the five-strong Kenyan team took each of the first five places with Edna Kiplagat finishing second ahead of Priscah Jeptoo.
Kipsang was asked after the race if he thought he had done enough to enable him to to return to the streets of London for the Olympic marathon in 16 weeks time.
"I have done my part but it's up the officials," he replied. "It's up to Athletics Kenya. They promised they would do the selection after London."
The top three Kenyan woman also stressed that they did not yet know if they would be competing in the Games.
"When I get home I will celebrate with my family and will then start preparing for the Olympics - if I am selected," Keitany said.
Kiplagat said she had a game plan for London if selected but could not say what it would be.
"I can't say because I don't know what criteria they (the selectors) are going to use," she said.
CONFIDENT KIPSANG
After a week of foul weather in London with daily rainstorms and freezing temperatures at night, Sunday proved a pleasant surprise with blue skies, light winds and mild weather after a chilly start.
Keitany, running only her fourth marathon, made her victory bid at 35 kms and held on to break compatriot Catherine Ndereba's 11-year-old African record of 2:18:47.
Kipsang looked full of confidence from the start, at one stage moving up alongside the two pacemakers for a brief chat.
"I was trying to set the pace for the pacemakers, I wanted the pace to be a little faster," he said. "When I was on the start line I had the feeling I was strong but I did not know about the other guys. I was confident in myself."
Kipsang decided to break at the halfway stage shortly after the leading pack had crossed Tower Bridge when he realised nobody else was ready to take up the pace.
He said realised at that stage that the world record was not on and had decided to concentrate on running a good time.
Lel, who was not included on a provisional Kenyan Olympic squad, said there had been great pressure on him after he finished 35th in the Dubai marathon in January.
"After Dubai I didn't expect to be here," he said. "I had done only a quarter of my training."
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