Lawrence Cherono won the TCS Amsterdam Marathon in a new course record of 2.05.09. The Kenyan was the first to cross the finish line in the sun-drenched Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. Abdi Nageeye added extra excitement to the marathon by running a new Dutch record of 2.08.16. Thanks to his strong final sprint towards the finish, Nageeye ran five seconds faster than the previous record set by Kamiel Maase.
There was also a new course record for the women. The women’s winner, the Ethiopian Tadelech Bekele, said at the end that she had stomach problems, which she had to allow time for in the last five kilometres. Nevertheless, she was very happy with her victory and new personal best of 2.21.54. Gladys Chesir came in second place with a time of 2.24.51, and Azmera Abreha followed in third with 2.25.23. The Dutch champion was Mireille Baart, with 2.44.21.
The TCS Amsterdam Marathon's top five men were especially fast this year. At least five athletes ran times under 2.06, making Amsterdam one of the fastest marathons in the world. As well as Cherono, the number two across the finish, Norbert Kigen, also beat the previous track record of 2.05.21 run by Daniel Wanjiru last year. Kigen ran the 42.195 kilometres in a time of 2.05.13. Abraham Kiptum completed the podium with his time of 2.05.26. Mule Wasihun came in fourth place, running 2.05.39, and Amos Kipruto came fifth with 2.05.43.
Abdi Nageeye was not far behind, coming in ninth place. The speaker was booming through the stadium and the audience was on their feet applauding in the stands when the clock stopped at 2.08.16. 'When I ran into the stadium, I started counting. 'Keep on going, keep on sprinting', I said to myself. Look - look - and I made it. Such a great feeling - I'm so happy', said the new record holder afterwards.
The Dutch marathon runner Abdi Nageeye was aiming for a time under 2.09. He crossed the halfway mark in 64.07. Nageeye talks about his performance in the race: 'I wasn't happy with my time at the halfway mark, but I stayed focused on kilometre times of 3.01/3.03. After 30km, I was really in my stride and I knew it couldn't go wrong. At the 38/39km mark, I knew that I could grab another 10 seconds. Everything was perfect today: the weather the group... My preparation was perfect and I really showed that today', he said.
After the press conference, the previous record holder Kamiel Maase made a surprise appearance and presented him with a silver trophy. The symbolic Dutch record trophy was previously passed on to Masse by Gerard Nijboer. The previous Dutch record of 2.08.21 was also run in Amsterdam, in 2007.
The TCS Amsterdam Marathon, which has received the IAAF Gold Label, welcomed 44,643 participants in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam across the various races (TCS Marathon, Mizuno Half Marathon, TCS 8 km and kids' run). With a record 127 nationalities present, the atmosphere in and around the Olympic Stadium was overwhelming. The race was followed live in 190 countries.
