Ethiopia’s Amane Beriso Sunday won the Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso EDP, a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race.
Amane’s winning time of 2:14:58 elevated her to third place on the women’s all-time list, according to the sports governing World Athletics.
World 10,000m champion Letesenbet Gidey, who med her marathon debut, finished second in 2:16:49. Like Kiptum, she set a record for the fastest marathon debut in history.
Amane, who won the Mexico City Marathon in August this year, was unable to break the world record schedule but she did more than enough in the closing stages to see off Letesenbet’s challenge,
She went on to win in a course and Ethiopian record of 2:14:58.
“I can’t believe what I have achieved today,” said Amane. “Everything was fantastic – the circuit, the weather, the crowd. I’m really delighted.”
Letesenbet clocked 2:16:49 to finish runner-up, while Kenyan debutante Sheila Chepkirui completed the podium in 2:17:29, seven seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s 21-year-old Tadu Teshome.
For the first time in history, four women finished inside 2:18 and seven women finished inside 2:19.
MG/as/APA