| GEO Sports | | Kenyan athletes triumph at Hong Kong marathon | Updated at: 1718 PST, Monday, February 09, 2009
 HONG KONG: Kenyan runners dominated the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on Sunday, taking the first three places in the men's race and clinching the women's title.
Cyprian Mwobi, who finished second in last year's men's race after a dramatic sprint finish, overcame this year's field in a winning time of 2 hours 14 minutes and 57 seconds, organisers said.
"It is not easy, as I can say the course is very tough," said Mwobe after the race.
Compatriot Tubei Chirchir came in second in 2:15:23, with Rotich Kirwa finishing in third place in 2:16:16 completing a 1-2-3 for the east African country, which has dominated international distance running for the past 20 years.
Winnie Nyansikera won the women's race after leading the field from the start, finishing in 2:41:25, more than six minutes ahead of Thai runner Sunisa Saylomyen, who ended in 2:47:43.
Zheng Wenrong, from China, finished third in 2:49:22. "I didn't expect to be a winner. I know the Chinese are very tough, so I have to run very fast to run away from them," Nyansikera said after the race.
A record 55,000 runners took part in this year's race, organisers said. |  |
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