- Yalemzerf Yehualaw wins women’s race (2:17:26), to become race’s youngest ever winner
- Amos Kipruto wins men’s race (2:04:39), ahead of Leul Gebresilase and Bashir Abd
- Swiss racers Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner win men’s and women’s wheelchair titles in new course records
Yalemzerf Yehualaw became the youngest female winner of the London Marathon, in only her second 26-mile race.
The 23-year-old’s time of 2hr 17min 26sec was the third fastest by a woman on the course. But it was what happened to her after 20 miles that made the Ethiopian’s performance all the more extraordinary.
For most of us, falling flat on our face on the tarmac would, at the very least, slow us down; if not oblige us to seek help from the nearest St John’s ambulance. Not Yehualaw. Rather, her fall appeared to speed her up.
She had been near the front from the start, settled into the leading pack of half a dozen runners. Then, apparently not having noticed it was there, she fell over a sleeping policeman speed bump.
This was not a minor trip; she went flying, splatting on to the road in a comic-book spreadeagle. Several of the other runners spun round in alarm at the sound of her tumble; given the scale of the fall they must have assumed they had seen the last of her. But, Yehualaw immediately picked herself up and eased her way back into contention.
She quickly caught up with the leading group and with three miles to go, she broke away.
“My feeling was very nice after 35km [21 miles]. I then tried to push the pace,” she said. Push the pace she did. Smooth, elegant, controlled, she eased across the ground, constantly upping her speed; she ran her 24th mile in an eye-watering 4min 43sec to finish on the Mall in splendid isolation. Last year’s winner, the Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei, was left in her wash, finishing nearly a minute behind in 2-18-07.
Of her fall, Yehualaw admitted she was still carrying the bruises. “I did not see the bump. I have some feeling here and here,” she said, pointing at her hip and knee. But she added it was not going to stop her, she was never going to give up.
It was that kind of day on the London streets: no one wanted to give up. In glorious sunshine, more than 41,000 people were following in Yehualaw’s footsteps across the course. Among them was a rhinoceros, a unicorn, Big Bird, the Gruffalo and, oddly, a runner dressed as a spark plug. Not to mention someone carrying a washing line, complete with Y-fronts drying in the breeze.
Ahead of them, in the men’s elite race, all eyes were on the veteran Kenenisa Bekele. In the absence of Mo Farah, the most familiar marathon figure had begun quickly, leading the way for nearly 21 miles. But then he was dropped by the leading pack. A tantalising five or six seconds behind, he tried to make up the gap. His chance of closing down on the lead, however, disappeared when the Kenyan Amos Kipruto kicked away with two miles to go.
Kipruto had barely been mentioned in dispatches ahead of the race. A bronze medallist in the World Championships in Doha, he did not finish the Tokyo marathon. But here he timed his surge with the precision of a seasoned expert. Extraordinarily for anyone who has run the race, he was getting quicker as the finish line came into view: he ran the 25th mile in a remarkable 4min 21sec. Not that Bekele can be faulted. He finished in fifth with a time of 2-05-51. Not bad for a 40-year-old.
Eritrea runaway is fastest Briton
Finishing in a very respectable ninth place, Weynay Ghebresilasie was the fastest British runner. His time of two hours, 11 minutes and 56 seconds may have represented a personal best, but it was a distinction he could never have anticipated the first time he visited the city back in 2012.
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Then, he had arrived to take part in the steeplechase at the London Olympics. He was a member of the Eritrean national squad and, aged just 18, had been chosen to carry his country’s flag at the opening ceremony.
Normally, this is a moment of supreme sporting pride.
But Ghebresilasie’s immediate aim was less trying to win his race than securing his personal safety.
Alarmed by the situation in his homeland, and fearful of being drafted into the army to fight in a civil war, he had a plan. Even before the Games had finished he moved into action.
With a neat irony, it was while his team-mates were watching the marathon that he made his escape, leaving the Olympic village in search of asylum. Even as he went, he threw away the sim card he had been given by his team’s organisers so that they could not contact him. He then approached the British authorities. It had been something on his mind for a while.
“Before the 2012 Olympics my country was not in a good situation,” he explained. “I was in the army and I didn’t like that, so that’s why I stayed in Britain after the Olympics.”
Ghebresilasie was not alone. Seeing what he had done, three other members of the Eritrean squad used the opportunity of the games to escape from the war-shattered misery of their homeland and followed him in applying to the Home Office. Initially, after being granted temporary residence, he was given sanctuary in Sunderland.
“I know Steve Cram comes from Sunderland,” he said of the city’s most renowned athlete, these days the man commentating on the London Marathon for the BBC. “In Sunderland they tell you this all the time.”
Not that initially Cram’s heritage spurred him into running. For his first few years in Britain, he gave up all thought of athletics. His priority was making a living. After he moved from the north east to Birmingham and found a job working on the production line at Land Rover, he thought his days as a competitor were over.
But once he felt more settled, the urge to get back competing led him to the marathon. He started training on his own and in 2019, he entered the London event as a regular runner. That year he emerged from the mass start to finish as the fastest British-based runner. His form alerted the scouts from Team GB and he was picked up to train with the country’s elite squad. When he was granted British citizenship in 2020, he was able to run in his adopted nation’s colours. Now, full of thanks for the new opportunity he was gifted, he has ambitions to represent Britain in the Paris Olympics in 2024.
“That’s my plan, to run at the World Championships and then the Olympics, hopefully for Great Britain,” he said. “I am very happy in Britain.”
Now based in Glasgow, it has not been possible for him to make a return trip to Eritrea. And worse, he has been split from his family. “I have no contact with them for three years. I don’t know what the situation is.”
In order to find some sort of comfort given the problems in his homeland, he has been concentrating on his running. And following his finish in London, he has one further ambition. He is hopeful his performance might put him in touch with another hugely successful refugee who came to represent Britain in the marathon.
“I have never spoken to Mo Farah, we are not friends yet,” he said. “Maybe that will change? Yeah, that would be good.”
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Just ahead of Ghebresilasie on the course, finishing 10th in the women’s race, was Rose Harvey, the first Briton home. Compared to Bekele, she is a novice; she only took up serious marathon running during lockdown, after being made redundant from her job in finance. And here she was finishing in the top 10 at London. “It was the race of my life, it was absolutely amazing, the crowds were insane,” she said of what was only her third elite marathon. “I think I just got the world qualifying time, which is great. Really happy with that.”
David Weir, on the other hand, like Bekele, was rather more familiar with battling across 26 miles. This was the 23rd successive London race the great wheelchair athlete had completed. Though he admitted, as he came down the Mall in third place, that there was something different about this one, the first since the Queen died.
“When I met her, she always spoke to me about the marathon,” he said. “I reckon she used to watch it. It was right on her doorstep after all.”
London Marathon: As it happened. . .
David Weir speaks with BBC Sport on his 23rd consecutive London Marathon
There’s still a lot of pressure on me to do well because people expect me to podium every time I race, but they forget how old I am.
But the London marathon is special to me because it’s one of the first races I did in a race chair.
It’s been a struggle since Covid because we’ve had not many races in the spring.
[Ahead of April] I’ve just got to keep the training in over the winter.
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Anoosheh Ashoori was converted to running while imprisoned by the Iranian regime
Anoosheh Ashoori, the British-Iranian retired civil engineer who was incarcerated for four-and-a-half years in Tehran on trumped-up spying charges, is running the London Marathon today with his son Aryan. He was finally released back in March together with Nazanin Zaghari Radcliffe. He said:
I was no runner. Before my hunger strike, I was overweight, I had a beer belly. I couldn’t run even for ten minutes. But my running improved. Every day I ran, for 20 minutes, then 30, then an hour.
One day when I ran for two hours, this other inmate who had a 19-year sentence, waved this book at me: ‘What I Think About When I’m Running’ by Haruki Murakami. I read it and I thought: yes I will do the London marathon.
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Heathcliff O’Malley
Eliud Kipchoge speaks to BBC Sport
He broke the world record in Berlin last week with a time of 2:01:09, but wasn’t running today. He hints at a return to London in April next year.
I trust that running under two hours in a normal marathon is really possible. Get all the pieces in your mind, put it together. Focus on running and breaking the barrier.
I can say that spring in London is more conducive [to running a fast time].
Swiss stars Hug and Debrunner speak to BBC Sport
Marcel Hug speaks first:
To be honest, it was really, really tough. I think it was one of the toughest marathons for a really long time.
I tried really hard to break away from Daniel [Romanchuk].
But in the end he was too strong.
I’m really happy to have done the sprint finish.
Next up, Catherine Debrunner:
It has been a crazy year for me. I did Berlin for the first time, it was such a great experience and I knew that London was going to be a complete different route.
The routes are tough.
Just before the start, two of the best marathon racers could not go to the start.
I spoke to [Susannah] Saroni, and we actually planned to work together, then I suddenly saw she was far behind, and I have to do it all myself!
It was the toughest race I have ever done. I really suffered.
The top seven men’s finishers
- Amos Kipruto 2:04:39
- Leul Gebresilase 2:05:12
- Bashir Abdi 2:05:19
- Kinde Atanaw 2:05:27
- Kenenisa Bekele 2:05:53
- Birhanu Legese 2:06:11
- Sisay Lemma 2:07:26
Bekele, one of the runners who dropped off that leading pack early, managed to stay competitive and pip Legese and Lemma to a fifth place finish.
Amos Kipruto wins the men’s 2022 London Marathon!
Rounding the final curve past Buckingham Palace, Kipruto takes the longer way round, but his victory is assured.
The crowd cheer him on loudly, waving him closer and closer, and he breaks the tape having beaten a sensational field to become the 2022 London Marathon men’s champion!
His time is 2:04:40secs, and behind him in second is Leul Gebresilase.
Passing the 40k mark
… Kipruto clocks a scorching 1:58:27. It looks like he will miss out on his personal best, and the course record, but he is running with such comfort and power, and has at this point, an unbeatable lead. His rivals are metres and metres away, Gebresilase battling Abdi and Kinde for the podium finish.
Kipruto pulls away
Looking, like Yehualaw, to establish a lead before a sprint finish. Kipruto pulls them out, making ground ahead of Gebresilase.
Only two runners manage to cling to the Kenyan in his burst of speed: Gebresilase and Abdi. The rest settle back behind the leaders. Kipruto’s acceleration, coming at the same point as Yehualaw’s, seems incredibly well-timed as he powers along the Embankment.
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Matthew Childs/Reuters
Five kilometres to go in the elite men’s race
A lovely moment of sportsmanship from Lemma, who passes his water bottle to Kipruto. But when the surge comes, there’ll be no time for niceties.
Legase moves into the front of the pack, as Lemma drops out of the pack after looking so good moments ago. He meets Bekele, who can now focus on overtaking last year’s winner. Legase is followed closely by Kipruto and Gebresilase.
The top nine women’s finishers
- Yalemzerf Yehualaw 2:17:26
- Joyciline Jepkosgei 2:18:07
- Alemu Megertu 2:18:32
- Judith Korir 2:18:43
- Joan Chelimo Melly 2:19:27
- Ashete Bekere 2:19:30
- Mary Ngugi 2:20:22
- Sutume Asefa Kebede 2:20:44
- Ai Hosoda 2:21:42
Some magnificent times here, with the top five all within 2hrs20mins.
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Yalemzerf Yehualaw wins the women’s 2022 London Marathon!
Turning down The Mall, Yehualaw is within seconds of the world record with Buckingham Palace behind her.
She misses out on the 2:17:01secs time, but her winning time of 2:17:26 is remarkable. In her second-ever marathon, no less.
Jepkosgei is second, with a time of 2:1:07, and Megertu comes third, 2:18:32
Jepkosgei has second, but in front… ?
It’s been Yehualaw, Yehualaw, Yehualaw from me, but this is an astonishing performance from the debutante. She speeds down Birdcage Walk, no doubt enjoying the slight downhill decline.
She looks set to achieve a phenomenal time, and imagine what might have happened without that small fall. Could it prove the difference as she goes for the record?
Yehualaw has an enormous gap in front
An incredible speed up from Yehualaw as she approaches the 40k mark, who seems to be getting fastest and faster as the minutes run down. She reaches 40k with a time of 2:10:21. This could put a world record in her sights…
Nobody has dropped out of that leading men’s pack as they get closer to the 30k mark, with last pacemakers dropping out at 30k. Legese is ready to strike as they melt away, moving into the lead ahead of Kirputo.
Korir still looking strong
Proposed as a pacemaker, and now a race leader, Korir has capitalised on the surge. Kebede also drops back out of that lead pack, but not far enough to rule out a late run.
Jepkosgei moves into the lead, and Megertu has battled back from being adrift of the pack earlier to round out the pack with the ever-sure Yehualaw.
Change ups in both elite races
Bekele has dropped back from behind the pacemaker. The forty-year-old is running at the back of the group now, alongside Lemma. Gebresilase leads the pack.
There’s a break in the women’s race, the seven runners in the pack dropping to five: Melly and Bekere peel off as the five at the front surge ahead, with 5 to 6 miles to go.
Yehualaw falls
A terrible turn of events for the race favourite, who stumbles, perhaps tripping over the feet of another runner in the pack, or scuffing a bump in the road. She catches up to the runners, bunching up at the front of the race.
Yehualaw does not look to have grazed her knees, but what an unlucky set back. Hopefully this does not force her race in a different direction. As she fell, most of the pack turned quickly to see what happened.
Jepkosgei leads now, with Kebede and Korir a little behind her.
Men’s standings at the halfway mark
- Kenenisa Bekele 1:02:14secs
- Amos Kipruto
- Kinde Atanaw
- Leul Gebresilase
- Birhanu Legese
- Bashir Abdi
- Sisay Lemma
- Weynay Ghebresilasie
- Brett Robinson
- Edward Goddard
Ghebresilasie is Eritrean-born, but sought asylum in the UK, and has competed for Great Britain since 2021.
Eden Rainbow-Cooper takes third
Behind Susannah Scaroni, as the chasing pack in the women’s wheelchair marathon cross the finishing line.
Another excellent finish for British athletes: another podium awaits.
In the elite women’s race, Megertu drops from the leading pack as the pace hots up.
Over Tower Bridge, Bekele recaptures the lead, flanked by Legese and and Kirputo. Lemma has moved into sixth.
Kebede picks up the pace
Kebede takes a longer lead at the front of the leading pack, picking up the pace. Korir follows her, and Jepkosgei takes third. The athletes are running single-file now, with Kebede having injected a spurt of energy as the runners wend their ways through the glittering glass towers that line this stage of the race.
Debrunner wins the elite women’s wheelchair marathon!
Cheered as she turns past Buckingham Palace, Debrunner looks extremely tired, having led for such a long time. She conjures up her reserves, powers down The Mall, and takes the course record!
Two marathon wins in two weeks: and Berlin was her debut. An incredible experience for the Swiss athlete, which achieved a time of 1:38:24secs.
Yehualaw on top
Still looking as cool and unruffled as she did 25k ago, Yehualaw gets to the front of the leading pack, which has shed its pacemakers. Kebede moves back into second, with Jepkosgei in third. Bekere, having lead for long portions of the race, is pushed back to fourth.
Yehualaw is such an exciting prospect: in April, she achieved the fastest ever women’s marathon time for a debutant, at the Hamburg Marathon. Time will tell how she will fare in her London debut.
Lemma holds seventh place and Weir gets podium finish
The pack is still led by the three Ethiopians: Bekele, Legese, and Gebresilase, and last year’s winner keeps a steady pace at the back of that opening pack.
The chasing pack of the men’s wheelchair marathon reaches The Mall, and there’s a sprint finish as Weir powers past Tomoki Suzuki to get onto the podium in third, after sitting in fifth for much of the race.
Suzuki is fourth, and Jetze Plat comes fifth.
Hug wins the elite men’s wheelchair marathon!
The pair reach Birdcage Walk: Romanchuk has clung to Hug throughout, and there’s a sprint finish for first place as they power past Buckingham Palace.
A clash of wheels as Romanchuk goes for the overtake on the final corner, but Hug speeds away, pulling away from his rival, and streaking across the finish line.
Hug breaks the course record of 1:24:38secs, and takes his second consecutive title.
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Andrew Boyers/Reuters
A new women’s elite leader
As the women cross Tower Bridge, we have a new fastest time, from Kebede.
- Sutume Asefa Kebede 1:05:25
Followed by:
- Ashete Bekere
- Judith Korir
- Yalemzerf Yehualaw
- Alemu Megertu
In the elite women’s wheelchair race, Debrunner still has her lead, but she looks to be struggling a little with the technicality of the course. She overshoots a corner, and collides with one of the metal barricades. Righting herself, Debrunner picks up speed again. Without strong opponents like Schar and De Rozario on her tail, she has a little time for the mistake.
Hug feels Romanchuk breathing down his neck
Speeding through 30k, the two leaders have increased their lead over that chasing pack to three and a half minutes. Hug looks behind him to check Romanchuk, momentarily slowing.
He’s likely sick of the sight of his shadow, who has never before kept such a close tail on the Swiss champion.
David Weir in that chasing pack is currently in fifth place.
Bekele maintains his lead
The Ethopian is still at the front of that first pack, followed by compatriots Leul Gebresilase and Birhanu Legese.
Through the first 5k, Sisay Lemma was seventh-fastest, and Briton Sesemann 14th.
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John Sibley/Reuters
Hug and Romanchuk still locked in battle
Almost wheel-to-wheel as they race ever closer to that finish line.
Through 25k, they have a lead of three minutes ahead of the chasing pack, which still includes David Weir and Aaron Pike.
Debrunner is still looking extremely pacey as she goes for the course record. She is followed by British athlete Eden Rainbow-Cooper.
The final start for elite racers
On the front line, we have the legendary Kenenisa Bekele, last year’s winner Sisay Lemma, Bashir Abdi. British hopes are with last year’s seventh-place finisher, Philip Sesemann.
White, Williamson and Scott ring final starting bell, and thousands upon thousands of runners stream after the elite men.
A new leader in the elite women’s race
Yehualaw goes ahead, faster than Bekere, setting a time of 32.18 at the 10k mark. Those eight women in the leading pack, however, are all staying very close together as they speed past Cutty Sark.
The crowds are building now, as more and more people gather along the route.
We’re five minutes from the start of the men’s elite race and the mass start.
At the starting line, the National Anthem is played by the British Army Band.
The elite men’s wheelchair racers
… are crossing Tower Bridge, and it’s still Hug who has the edge over Romanchuk. They are flying together, streets ahead of the rest of their opponents.
They’re so close together that Romanchuk’s front wheel is, at times, in line with Hug’s back wheels. Romanchuk flirts with the overtake, but resets, still extremely close to Hug.
From setter to starter
Judith Korir is having a strong race so far, involved in that leading pack. She was originally scheduled to be a pacemaker in this race, for her compatriot Brigid Kosgei, the women’s world record holder. But her training went so well, the decision was taken for her to race today.
Debrunner holds a commanding lead
Without Schar and De Rozario racing against her, Debrunner has a great opportunity here. London’s course is more technical than Berlin’s, where she triumphed last week, so by streaking away from the pack and setting terrific pace, Debrunner
In the elite women’s race, Bekere takes the initial lead time of 16:01 over the first 5k, with Yehualaw just behind her.
It’s still a lovely, if a little grey, windless day in London – perfect conditions to set a quick time.
Debrunner leads the women’s wheelchair race
Susannah Scaroni led for the first few kilometres, but has been overtaken by Debrunner. Striking out on her own, Debrunner has a gradually increasing lead.
In the men’s wheelchair marathon, Hug is being tracked closely by Romanchuk, and the pair have pulled away to set up a strong lead. Romanchuk is centimetres from the Swiss dynamo.
The elite women’s race is next to start
Sadly, Charlotte Purdue will not be able to take part due to illness, but Great Britain will be ably represented on the front row by Rose Harvey. She’ll be racing talents such as rising Ethopian star, Yalemzerf Yehualaw, Ashete Bekere, and last year’s winner Joyciline Jepkosgei.
White, Scott and Williamson start them off, and away they go! Yehualaw has the early lead, as the runners settle into two packs.
The elite wheelchair race is underway
In the women’s race, the field is now wide open after those high profile retirements. Catherine Debrunner won last week’s Berlin Marathon, but due to the differences between the two courses in London and Berlin, it will not be a cut and dried victory here.
In the men’s race, Marcel Hug, last year’s winner, is well fancied, as is David Weir.
The Lionesses, White, Scott and Williamson, hover over the button before sounding the starting bell.
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John Sibley/Reuters
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson speaks to Gabby Logan
On David Weir, entering his 23rd London Marathon, of which he has won an astounding eight:
He just always wants to be better and improve himself every time. with london marathon, he knows every twist and turn on the course.
The other athletes are going to go out and make him work […] for it.
She also provided an update on Schar and De Rozario. Both woke up feeling unwell, with Schar having a temperature and feeling sick. Neither has Covid.
Schar and De Rozario out
Some breaking news: last year’s wheelchair women’s champion, Manuela Schar, has dropped out of the competition this morning, as has her fellow wheelchair racer, and 2021 New York City Marathon winner, Madison De Rozario.
Hopefully, we’ll find out more information on these retirements shortly.
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Jed Leicester/PA
In the mass events…
Joining the nearly 42,000-strong field are a legion of celebrities, including Cynthia Erivo, James Cracknell, Iwan Thomas MBE, Sophie Raworth, Stephen Mangan, Chris Evans, and Danny Mills.
Notably, former Health Secretary Matt Hancock participated in last year’s iteration.
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Karwai Tang/WireImage
Eliud Kipchoge is in town
Although the world record-holder is not taking part in today’s marathon, he’s still an important part of the weekend’s events: Kipchoge handed out medals in yesterday’s Mini London Marathon, which featured children from Reception to Year 11 taking place in 1 mile or 2.6 kilometre races.
The iconic route
A 26.2-mile whirlwind tour through the very heart of London. A flat course, with only one small rise, all three starts curve through Greenwich Park and Blackheath Park, before converging in Woolwich. 6.2 miles in, runners will past the Cutty Sark, before navigating the Docklands and Bermondsey to reach the halfway point crossing Tower Bridge. The route winds back through Wapping and Canary Wharf before runners are treated the final leg: a straight run gripping the Thames which sees them pass the Tower of London, and the London Eye on the other side of the river. Before the finish line by St James’ Palace on The Mall, they’ll also catch Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.
Good morning
Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live coverage of the 2022 London Marathon, held in October for the third time in its history.
April 2023 will see the event return to its usual springtime scheduling, after moving to the autumn last year due to Covid lockdown restrictions.
But this final October marathon, blessed – for now – by clear skies, should be a memorable one, with a stacked line-up of stars across the elite race categories.
Both of last year’s defending champions in the elite men’s and women’s races, Kenyan Joyciline Jepokosgei, and Ethiopian Sisay Lemma respectively, will be returning seek a consecutive victory. Notably, Lemma won last year’s race with following a bout of Covid; although he was able to run the race having returned a negative test that morning, he was denied the opportunity to take up his place on the podium.
In the elite women’s race, Jepokosgei, whose London Marathon last year was her first, will look to see off last year’s second and third place finishers, Degitu Azimeraw and Ashete Bekere. Less than a week before the start of the marathon, world record holder Brigid Kosgei withdrew from competition, due to a right hamstring injury.
Whilst Mo Farah will not be competing in the elite men’s race, Lemma will have to contend with marathon stars such as Kenenisa Bekele and Birhanu Legese. But world record holder Eliud Kipchoge, who last week beat his own record to set a new world’s fastest time at the Berlin Marathon, won’t be competing.
In the elite wheelchair races, both Swiss winners, Marcel Hug and Manuela Schar will return to defend their titles.
Starting off the nearly 42,000 runners across all categories this morning will be three of England’s Lionesses: Jill Scott, Ellen White, and captain Leah Williamson, and in light of Saturday’s rail strikes, event director Hugh Brasher has said that late arrivals will be able to start in a later pen, in an effort to ensure as high participation as possible.
We’ve got an exciting morning ahead, with staggered starts as follows:
- 8:50am elite wheelchair men’s and women’s race start
- 9:00am elite women’s race start
- 9.40am elite men’s race and mass start
Source: telegraph.co.uk