<\/p>\n
Nairobi \u2014 Double world 5,000m champion Hellen Obiri showed her superb class, wading off pressure from two Ethiopian athletes to clinch the Boston Marathon title, her first ever victory over the 42km distance, clocking 2:21:38.<\/p>\n
In only her second marathon after finishing sixth in New York last year, Obiri showed her maturity and a quick mastering of the brutal 42km race to win ahead of Ethiopia\u2019s Beriso Amane and Ababel Yeshaneh.<\/p>\n
Amane finished second in 2:21:50 while Kenyan-turned Israeli Lonah Salpeter edged out Yeshaneh for third at the line, timing 2:21:57, three seconds ahead of the fourth placed Ethiopian<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so happy because I didn\u2019t want to come for this race. The coach really tried to convince me but my mind was somewhere else. I didn\u2019t want to do it but my coach told me I had trained well and he believed in me,\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided, okay let me go and do it. I am so happy I can\u2019t believe this,\u201d Obiri said after the race.<\/p>\n
Obiri was a late inclusion in the race, having been drafted in to replace Sharon Lokedi who had withdrawn. It was not until last Sunday evening that she finally decided to compete.<\/p>\n
Heading into the final three kilometres of the race, Obiri was in a three-way battle with the two Ethiopians, with Salpeter a few paces back at fourth.<\/p>\n
With the last tunnel bend heading into the sight of the finish line, Obiri with a good finishing kick mastered from her years ruling the track pulled away from the duo to go on and win the race, tears rolling down her eyes as she hugged her coach and children at the finish line.<\/p>\n