Ethiopian athlete Haven Hailu had won the women’s race at the Rotterdam Marathon in convincing fashion on Sunday.
Haven and Kenyan duo Daisy Cherotich and Stella Barsosio made an early break, reaching 10km in 32:55 – on a pace to challenge the course record of 2:18:58 set 10 years ago by 2012 Olympic champion Tiki Gelana, according to the World Athletics (WA).
They were unable to maintain that pace for too much longer, but still reached the half-way point in a swift 1:09:56, just inside 2:20 pace.
A few kilometres later, Haven broke away from the leading pack involving a relative newcomer Nienke Brinkman of the Netherlands.
By 35km, the Ethiopian athlete reached in 1:57:34 while Brinkman moved up to second place. The Dutchwoman continued to make up ground in the closing stages, but Haven’s lead was safe.
The 24-year-old crossed the finish line in 2:22:01 to record her first marathon victory to date.
Brinkman finished second in 2:22:51 while Kazakhstan’s Zhanna Mamazhanova took third place in 2:26:54.
Meanwhile, Ethiopian athlete Leul Gebreselassie finished second in the men’s race won by Dutch Athlete Abdi Nageeye. Kenya’s Reuben Kiprop Kipyego finished third.
MG/abj/APA