The 2019 Belfast marathon champion, Caroline Jepchirchir was beaten to second place at the 40th edition of the Athens Classic Marathon held on Sunday (12) in Athens, Greece.
The 35 year-old who was the fastest athlete on the entry list with a time of 2:26.11 that she got last year at the Enschede Marathon where she finished in fourth, was beaten by the double Francophone Games champion, Soukaina Atanane of Morocco who was making a debut over the distance when she cut the tape first in a new personal best of 2:31.53, missing the course record by forty seven seconds. Jepchirchir was forced to settle in second place when she crossed the line twenty seven seconds later.
Greece four times National champion and the oldest athlete on the entry list Gkloria Priviletzio closed the podium three finishes in 2:43.20.
Greece’s Stamatia Noula, Australia’s Melissah Gibson and Bulgaria’s Marinela Nineva came home in fourth, fifth and sixth place in respective time of 2:46.53, 2:47.20 and 2:47.42.
The race course record of 2:31.06 set thirteen years ago by Lithuania’s Rasa Drazdauskaitė remains standing.
LEADING RESULTS
42KM WOMEN
- Sukaina Atanane (MAR) 2:31.53
- Caroline Jpchirchir (KEN) 2:32.19
- Gkloria Priviletzio (GRE) 2:43.20
- Stamatia Noula (GRE) 2:46.53
- Melissah Gibson (AUS) 2:47.20
- Marinela Nineva (BUL) 2:47.42
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