Find out who won the elite races in the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon
The elite races at the Virgin Money London Marathon started with a Swiss double in the elite wheelchair events. They were followed by a new women’s champion.
Hug was first across the world-famous London Marathon Finish Line on The Mall, setting a new course record time of 1:26:27, as the event returned to the streets of the capital after a hiatus of 889 days.
The Swiss athlete, nicknamed the ‘silver bullet’ thanks to his distinctive metallic helmet, took an emphatic third London win to follow-up his victory at the Berlin Marathon last weekend.
Daniel Romanchuk of the USA was runner-up in 1:29:27, with Great Britain’s David Weir in third place, outsprinting 2020 champion Brent Lakatos to take the third place on the podium.
In the women’s wheelchair event, Switzerland’s Manuela Schär also took a third London win as she dominated from the start. Pushing more than two minutes clear by 20K, Schär set a new course record of 1:39:52, breaking her own mark set in 2017 by five seconds. Five minutes behind, 17-year-old Merle Menje finished in 1:44:51 on her debut to take the runner-up spot, with the USA’s Tatyana McFadden placing third in the same time.
In the Abbott World Marathon Majors Flying 400 event, a race within the wheelchair race that was introduced in 2019, Romanchuk took the $6,500 prize as the fastest man to sprint 400m just after the 20K mark near Tower Bridge, covering the distance in just 42 seconds. Schär took the top prize in the women’s event, sprinting the 400m stretch in 51 seconds.
Kenyan world record holder Brigid Kosgei wasn’t able to make it three in a row at this year’s event, after her compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei won in 2:17.43 – smashing her previous PB of 2:18:40.
It promised to be a tight race, with a phenomenal field featuring eight women who have run inside 2:20, and that’s certainly what materialised – with the top three finishers all coming in within 2:19.
Kosgei, who said before the race that she was still feeling the effects of running for silver in the Tokyo Olympics just eight weeks ago, was fourth in 2:18:14.
Charlotte Purdue was first British woman across the line in 10th place, looking strong throughout the race as she set a massive personal best of 2:23:26, taking more than two minutes off her previous best time.
In the men’s race, the defending champion Shura Kitata fell off the pace before the 10K mark, leaving the leading men to push on to the halfway point in 61:25, inside 2:03 pace and still on to challenge Kipchoge’s 2019 course record of 2:02:37.
But the pace slipped off course-record time in the second half, inviting a break in the closing kilometres, an opportunity seized by Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma, who surged ahead to win the men’s race in 2:04:01, in the third-fastest time in the world this year, after his third place in 2020.
Kenya’s Vincent Kipchuma finished 27 seconds behind in 2:04:28, taking the runner-up slot again after placing second in the 2020 event. He was followed across the Finish Line by Mosinet Geremew of Ethiopia in 2:04:41.
The fastest British man was Philip Sesemann, who missed out on the 2:11:30 World Championships qualifying time, but set a time of 2:12:53 to take seventh place, edging out Joshua Griffiths, who finished eighth in 2:13:39.
Ahead of the elites, the Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon participants were first under the famous Finish Line on The Mall. The event has launched the careers of many top athletes, including Mo Farah, David Weir and Alex Yee, the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist who set the runners on their way this morning as the official race starter.
With up to 40,000 people taking on the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon wherever they are in the world, and more than 36,000 running on the streets of the capital, this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon looks set to be the biggest marathon ever held as We Run Together again.