Wanjiru wins Chicago Marathon in fastest ever time on US soil

(REUTERS)

Kenya's Olympic champion Sammy Wanjiru won the Chicago Marathon yesterday, toppling the course record to set the fastest mark ever on US soil.

The 22-year-old Wanjiru, who also won the London Marathon in April, completed Chicago's flat course on a chilly day under cloudy skies in 2 hours 5 minutes and 41 seconds.

Wanjiru trimmed one second off the mark set by Khalid Khannouchi in 1999. Second place went to Morocco's Abderrahim Goumri in 2:06:04 with Vincent Kipruto of Kenya in third in 2:06:08, while the women's race was won easily by Liliya Shobukhova of Russia in 2:25:55.

Meanwhile, Eritrea's Zersenay Tadese won the world half-marathon title for the fourth year in a row yesterday when he overcame wet, windy conditions in Birmingham in a championship record 59min 35sec. In the women's event, Kenya's Mary Keitany won in 1:06:36.