Kenyans Robert Cheruiyot and Alice Timbilili won the traditional 15km St. Silvester road race in South America's biggest city on Monday.
Cheruiyot ran through Sao Paulo's skyscraper-lined avenues and twisting streets in 45 minutes, 57 seconds, edging countryman Patrick Ivuti (46:53) and Brazil's Anoe dos Santos Dias (47:06).
Cheruiyot, a two-time St. Silvester winner and a three-time Boston Marathon champion, overcame the intense heat and dominated from the start, securing his third title at the traditional New Year's Eve road race.
PHOTO: AP
The 29-year-old Kenyan also won the event in 2002 and 2004. He crossed the finish line and immediately kneeled down and kissed the ground.
Ivuti, this year's Chicago marathon winner, never came close to challenging Cheruiyot on the streets of Brazil's financial center.
It was the 10th victory by a Kenyan man, matching the number of victories by Brazilians since the race became international in 1945.
Timbilili secured Kenya's sixth title in the women's event, surpassing Brazil's five victories and moving within one of Portugal's seven.
In her first St. Silvester, the 24-year-old Timbilili also dominated from the beginning, finishing in 53:07. Brazil's Marizete de Paula Rezende, the 2002 winner, was second in 53:36, and countrywoman Maria Zeferina Baldaia third in 54:43.
"I wanted to win again, but I didn't start well enough to keep up with [Timbilili]," Rezende said.
Rezende closed on Timbilili in the final kilometers, but Timbilili increased her pace and easily closed out the race.
The Kenyan was coming off two runner-up finishes in half marathons in Philadelphia in the US and Saltillo, Mexico.
Cheruiyot and Timbilili each won about US$13,500 for their victory.
Last year's winners, Brazil's Franck Caldeira and Lucelia Peres, did not fare well last year and finished out of the top five.
More than 20,000 people participated in this year's St. Silvester, which traditionally closes out the road racing calendar.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
AGING WELL: Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, 22, was sent packing after being dispatched by world No. 97, Laura Siegemund, the second-oldest player in the draw at 36 Novak Djokovic yesterday created a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round, but last year’s women’s finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, in-form Coco Gauff, two-time Melbourne winner Naomi Osaka and a rampant Carlos Alcaraz were all victors on a rainy day four. Play was suspended on the outside courts for a couple of hours in the early evening because of the wet weather. That led to the rescheduling of a women’s doubles match between wild-cards Tsao Chia-yi of Taiwan and Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech and 11th
RSS