LONDON, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Rose Chelimo of Bahrain won women's marathon at the IAAF World Championships here on Sunday.
Chelimo, born in Kenya, made a decisive sprint in the final kilometer to clock 2 hours, 27 minutes and 11 seconds.
"The race was good. I am very happy. I was not expecting to win today, I tried my best and became the world champion," said Chelimo after her victory.
"I'm feeling good and happy to be the winner. This is one of the best days in my life and hopefully there are more to come," she added.
This was the first time in World Championships history that both the men's and women's marathons have taken place on the same day, with starting and finishing lines located near London's iconic site Tower Bridge.
Kenyan runner Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat failed to win her third gold medal at worlds and finished runner-up at 2:27:18. Amy Cragg of the United States took away the bronze medal with the same time as Kiplagat.
"The last two kilometers was the most difficult. I was too tired after the previous sprints," commented Kiplagat.
Liu Qinghong, a Peking University student, won her chance of competing at worlds through a program initiated by the Chinese Athletics Association as an ordinary runner.
She ranked 65th at 2:52:21 in London, while another Chinese runner Cao Mojie did not finish due to stomach uncomfort.
Liu, who set her target within 2 hours and 45 minutes before the race, felt a bit disappointed about her result.
"I'm not at my best level," said Liu, adding that she also suffered stomach uncomfort 10 kilometers into the race.
"The wind and uphill also impacted me a lot today," she pointed out.
However, Liu thought her maiden appearance at worlds would undoubtedly have positive influence on her training.
"I could carry on when I felt uncomfortable in the race, and this would serve as motivation for me in the future," she said.
Earlier on Sunday, Kenya's Geoffrey Kipkorir Kirui claimed the men's marathon title with 2 hours 8 minutes and 27 seconds.
Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola and Alphonce Simbu of Tanzania bagged the silver and bronze medal respectively. Enditem
