Ethiopian Yalemzref Yehualaw Wins 2022 Women’s London Marathon Title

Ethiopian Yalemzred Yehualaw overcame a deep field assembled at this year’s event to clinch the 2022 women’s London Marathon title in a Personal Best time of 2hr, 17min, 26sec beating defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei who finished second.

Yehualaw, the reigning Hamburg Marathon champion established an insurmountable lead late on to win her second career marathon, beating Kenyan Jepkosgei who finished second in 2hr 18min 05sec  while Ethiopian Alemu Megertu came home third.

Kenya’s Judith Jeptum Korir, who was a late addition to the field, finished fourth in a race that was dominated by the East Africans.

The 23-year-old, Yehualaw came into the race undefeated. She only made her marathon debut as recently as April, winning in Hamburg with 2:17:23, the fastest marathon debut in history.

Yehualaw and Jepkosgei had clashed just once before, at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, where Yehualaw finished three places ahead of the Kenyan.

In the Men’s race, Kenyan Amos Kipruto won his maiden London Marathon title in a time of 2:04:39.

Kipruto, a second-place finisher at the Tokyo Marathon early this year will be the sole Kenyan in the race after his compatriot and training mate Vincent Kipchumba pulled out due to an injury.

He came home ahead of defending champion Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia who clocked 2:04:01 to win last year’s race.

The three-time Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia who placed third in 2016 and second in 2017, finished in a distant  fifth.

More to follow