Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia made a move with just more than a kilometer to go to win the Olympic women’s marathon on Sunday, hitting the tape in the shadow of Buckingham Palace.
Gelana finished in an Olympic record 2 hours, 23 minutes, 7 seconds, five seconds ahead of Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya (2:23:12). Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova of Russia won bronze (2:23:29).
Kenya has yet to win a gold medal in the Olympic women’s marathon.
For the USA, Shalane Flanagan finished 11th (2:25:51), just ahead of teammate Kara Goucher (2:26:07).
Flanagan and Goucher hung with the leaders for about 18 miles before the lead pack pulled away.
The marathon course took the competitors past many of London’s most famous sites, including Trafalgar Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster, Big Ben, the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge.