Abera scrapes home in London
Olympic champion Gezahegne Abera prevailed in a blanket finish to win the London Marathon men’s title today.
The 24-year-old Ethiopian held of former European champion Stefano Baldini by less than two feet in the sprint for the line to win in an unofficial time of two hours, seven minutes and 56 seconds.
Behind the Italian runner-up, there was even less space to Kenya’s Joseph Ngolepus.
Given excellent weather conditions, a race boasting a world-class field did not quite live up to expectations – even allowing for the absence of world record-holder Khalid Khannouchi who was absent because of tonsillitis.
But a cat-and-mouse race over the last two miles at least produced a thrilling finish.
