El Mouaziz, Tulu run to glory

LONDON, APRIL 22. Moroccan Abdelkader El Mouaziz won the men's London Marathon for the second time in three years, holding off Kenya's five times cross country champion Paul Tergat, while twice Olympic 10,000 metres champion Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia used her superior track speed to win the women's event here on Sunday.

Mouaziz had attempted to repeat the tactics which enabled him to gain a huge and decisive break on the field in the 1999 race by moving into the lead at the halfway stage of the 42.195-kilometre race.

This time the pack were ready for him and, headed by Portugal's defending champion Antonio Pinto, they quickly stepped up the pace and caught up with the moroccan. However, at 35 kms, El Mouaziz surged again and this time only Tergat - making his marathon debut - was able to respond.

But Tergat was unable to close the gap on El Mouaziz, who glanced over his shoulder repeatedly in the final two kms to reassure himself that he had established a winning lead.

El Mouaziz clocked a personal best of two hours, seven minutes, 11 seconds, more than a minute ahead of Tergat, who clocked 2:08:15. Pinto was third in 2:09:36.

The large leading group had set a conservative pace for the first half of the race, with Portuguese pacemaker Luis Jesus being forced to slow down on a couple of occasions.

In the women's section, Tulu, the 29-year-old Ethiopian, who has also won the World cross country title three times, moved away from the leading bunch over the final three kilometres to win in two hours, 23 minutes 57 seconds, seven seconds ahead of Russian Svetlana Zakharova. Twice champion Joyce Chepchumba of Kenya was third in 2:24.12.

Romania's Olympic silver medallist, who finished fourth, took up the running after the pacemakers had taken the field across tower bridge and through the halfway stage in 71 minutes 20 seconds. She headed a leading pack, including Ethiopians Tulu and Elfenesh Alemu, who were joined by Chepchumba in the Docklands area as the wind began to freshen. Kenya's defending champion Tegla Loroupe, holder of the world's best time, was off the early pace and stopped after five kms, rubbing the back of her left thigh. She resumed running after some brief stretching exercises - nearly a minute behind the pacemakers - and made a courageous bid to catch the leading group shortly before the halfway stage as Japan's Harumi Hiroyama - a pre-race favourite - fell behind.

The Kenyan caught up with the second group and pulled Zakharova and Romanian Nuta Olaru into the leading pack and by the 30-km stage led the field. But the effort was clearly too much for her and it was Simon who took over the lead in the closing stages.

Tulu's finishing speed proved decisive and she survived bumping into a competitor from one of the junior races, who was attempting to get in front of the television cameras, to win her first marathon in five attempts.

- Reuters

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