First time lucky for Ethiopian Merga as he wins Hong Kong Marathon
Hong Kong debutant from Ethiopia heads back to Addis Ababa US$65,000 richer after taking men's title
The barricades were back out on Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay on Sunday, but there were no Occupy protesters around. Instead, they were keeping a large crowd off the streets, allowing Ethiopia's Sentayehu Merga Ejigu to race to victory in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon.
Breathing down his neck were countryman Fikre Assefa Robi and Kenyan Robert Kipkorir Kipchumba, but Merga, a first-time competitor, wasn't to be denied a well-deserved victory as he continued a long African dominance in the men's marathon to win in two hours and 13 minutes.
There was a surprise in the women's race, as North Korean Kim Hye-gyong held off a powerful contingent of Africans to win.
It wasn't my best time but I'm more than happy to beat this strong field of runners. I could have run faster but there was a strong wind and that hampered me a bit
"It wasn't my best time but I'm more than happy to beat this strong field of runners," Merga said. "I could have run faster but there was a strong wind and that hampered me a bit."
Forced to run the middle stages harder than usual thanks to a bold approach by adventurous Japanese Shingo Igarashi, Merga came close to beating the course record set by countryman Dejere Abera in 2012.
Igarashi broke with standard practice when he made a break early in the race, sprinting clear of the field in an attempt to build a lead and hang on. The tactic worked fine for three-quarters of the race but it was all in vain as the juggernaut of African runners steadily reeled him in.
The pack hunted Igarashi down around the 32km mark - two kilometres before the Western Harbour Tunnel - and soon overtook him. But the Japanese runner had done the field a favour forcing the rest to step up.
For his pains, Igarashi was crowned winner of the Asian Championships, finishing in a time of 2:14.29.
