TAIPEI: Julius Chepkwony Rotich of Kenya beat his compatriot and defending champion Josphat Kamzee Jepkopol to win the men’s title in the Taipei marathon yesterday.
Rotich crossed the line in two hours, 14 minutes and four seconds to take home a prize of Tw$1.2m ($38,130).
Compatriot Hillary Yego came second on 2:17:00 while Jepkopol trailed on 2:20:03.
A field of Kenyan big names also dominated the women’s race, with Alice Jemeli Timbilil, the 2010 Armsterdam marathon winner, clocking 2:34:55.
She was followed by Carolyne Chemutai Komen with 2:36:17 and Viola Chepleting Bor with 2:38:29.
More than 100,000 runners took part in the event, with about 4,200 competing in the full 42-kilometre (26.2-mile) marathon and others running shorter distances.
Meanwhile, Kenyan athletics bosses have defended the country’s record on doping, despite 32 athletes having tested positive for banned substances in in- and out-of-competition tests in the last five years.
On a day when the results of the “B” sample for top woman marathon runner Rita Jeptoo were awaited, officials said they had done enough to tackle the problem of doping in the sport and warned that any athletics agents implicated in the scandal would be struck off the list of managers of Kenyan runners.
“We are not saying we have no doping issues, in fact we have a big problem. But we have taken appropriate action in accordance with the provision of the rules as provided for by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). We cannot do better or worse than that,” Athletics Kenya (AK) president Isaiah Kiplagat told a news conference.AFP
