Ethiopian Endeshaw Negesse wins Tokyo Marathon

Endeshaw Negesse

Tokyo, Feb 22 (IANS)

Ethiopia's Endeshaw Negesse defeated World and Olympic Champion Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda to win the Tokyo Marathon here Sunday. The 26-year-old Negesse crossed the finish line in two hours and six minutes. Kiprotich and race record-holder Dickson Chumba of Kenya ended second and third, respectively, reported Xinhua.

In the women's race, Birhane Dibaba, also from Ethiopia, won the title in 2:23:14.

More than 36,000 people participated in the annual event. The Tokyo Marathon is one of the World Marathon Majors. It attracts about 1.6 million spectators along the route.