Kipserem, Gebreslasea win Rotterdam Marathon

Kenyan Marius Kipserem and Ethiopian Leterbrhan Gebreslasea triumphed respectively in the men's and women's races of the 36th edition of the Rotterdam Marathon on Sunday.

Under sunny circumstances in the Netherlands, a leading group of Kenyans and Ethiopians distanced themselves from the rest and in the final kilometers Kipserem and Ethiopian Solomon Deksisa were the only ones battling for the victory.

Kipserem placed his final push after 41 kilometers and finished alone on the Coolsingel street. With his time of 2:06:11, he was 11 seconds faster than Deksisa, but not close to the track record, set by both Kenyans Duncan Kibet and James Kwambai in 2009 (2:04:27).

Gebreslasea was the strongest in the women's race in Rotterdam. The 25-year-old Ethiopian, who already won the Hong Kong marathon in January this year, finished in 2:26:15.