Hellen Obiri Defends Women's Title in Boston Marathon
Kenyan Runner Breaks Away Late for Victory
Kat Cornetta, Globe Correspondent | April 15, 2024 | Updated 48 minutes ago
Boston, MA - Kenyan runner Hellen Obiri defended her women's title in the Boston Marathon on Monday, breaking away from the pack in the final stretch to cross the finish line first. Obiri's time of 2:20:36 was just seven seconds ahead of second-place finisher Birhane Dibaba of Ethiopia.
The race was tightly contested throughout, with Obiri and Dibaba trading the lead several times. However, Obiri managed to pull away from Dibaba in the final kilometers, extending her lead to a comfortable margin by the time she reached the finish line.
"I'm so happy to win again in Boston," Obiri said after the race. "It was a tough race, but I knew I had it in me to win. I'm so proud of my performance today."
Obiri's victory marked the first time a Kenyan woman has won the Boston Marathon back-to-back since Catherine Ndereba in 2001 and 2002. It was also the first time a woman has defended her title in the race since Kenya's Rita Jeptoo in 2014.
In the men's race, Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia broke the tape first, finishing with a time of 2:09:42. Lemma had previously won the Boston Marathon in 2020, but did not finish the race in 2021. The Ethiopian runner held a slim lead over second-place finisher Titus Kipruto of Kenya for much of the race, but managed to pull away in the final kilometers to win the title.
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