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Jakarta Post

Mwaniki pulls off a win in second chance

Finish first: Kenyan Mbogo Elijah Mwaniki crosses the finish line first to win the men’s full marathon at BII Maybank Bali Marathon in Gianyar, Bali on Sunday

Musthofid (The Jakarta Post)
Gianyar
Mon, August 31, 2015

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Mwaniki pulls off a win in second chance Finish first: Kenyan Mbogo Elijah Mwaniki crosses the finish line first to win the men’s full marathon at BII Maybank Bali Marathon in Gianyar, Bali on Sunday.(JP/Anggara Mahendra) (JP/Anggara Mahendra)

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span class="inline inline-center">Finish first: Kenyan Mbogo Elijah Mwaniki crosses the finish line first to win the men'€™s full marathon at BII Maybank Bali Marathon in Gianyar, Bali on Sunday.(JP/Anggara Mahendra)

Last year'€™s defeat seemed enough to give impetus for Mbogo Elijah Mwaniki to come back with more confidence to finally dethrone fellow Kenyan, three-time champion Kennedy Kiproo Lilan, at the BII Maybank Bali Marathon (BMBM) 2015 on Sunday.

Mwaniki held off the defending champion'€™s contention for a fourth title by tailing him all along the race up to the finish line to win the 42-kilometer full marathon.

Last year'€™s runner-up beat Lilan by three seconds, clocking the best time of two hours, 17 minutes and 16 seconds compared to his rival'€™s 2:17:19.

'€œI'€™m happy. It is very fantastic for me to be here and win in the second year,'€ Mwaniki told a media conference.

'€œLast year I lost, but I prayed next time I was going to be a winner.'€

Paul Eyane made it an all-Kenyan celebration by touching the finish line in 2:32:58 at the Bali Safari and Marine Park in Gianyar Regency.

Mwaniki put his accomplishment of revenge down to hard training and concentration during the race.

'€œWhen I went back to Kenya, I knew I would be up against the same faces. I walked and ran downhill and uphill in order to be able to beat him,'€ he said.

'€œI concentrated [during the race]. I was a little bit afraid because Lilan was champion for many years,'€ he added.

Kenyan domination had been expected following the country'€™s performances in the previous three years.

However, in the fourth edition of the race, which featured some 5,000 runners, the traveling delegation appeared even stronger with them romping to take all podium honors in the men'€™s and women'€™s full marathon and half marathon (21 kilometers), sweeping the top two places in the men'€™s 10K and taking the top honor in the women'€™s 10K.

While Mwaniki needed a second effort to savor the glory, Elizabeth Chepkanan Rumokol triumphed in her first appearance, winning the women'€™s full marathon in 2:38:58. Last year'€™s winner Elizabeth Cheruiyot Chemweno had to settle with second place in 2:46:17 followed by Viola Jepchirchir Kimeli in 3:01:19.

A total of Rp 2 billion (US$150,000) was at stake in the competition with Mwaniki and Rumokol taking home Rp 190 million each.

When queried about the unmatched performances of the Kenyans in the competition, Mwaniki turned to the Indonesian runners beside him, Hamdan Safril Hanafi and Oliva Sadi, and said: '€œI invite you to train with us. When you come back you can chase me.'€

Hamdan retained the national championship of the men'€™s full marathon while Oliva prevailed in the women'€™s division.

'€œIn the last three kilometers, I could have pushed against them, but I would have cracked. I know my own capacity, so for the moment I just focus on the national level,'€ Hamdan said.

He improved last year'€™s time of 2:36:12 to 2:35:32 to beat Asmara Mara Bara and Eldak Kafolamau.

Veterans Supriati Sutono and Erni Wulatningsih came in second and third place in the women'€™s category behind champion Oliva.

The only Indonesian to spoil Kenyan domination was Triyaningsih in the women'€™s 10K. The SEA Games double gold medalist finished in distant second behind Karimi Esther Wambui and ahead of Malaysia'€™s Looi Mei Yan.

It was a dip in performance by the national team ace after she won the half marathon in 2012 and 2013, but she might be forgiven for her lackluster run since she was concentrating on the national championship that starts next week.

'€œI used it as a warm-up before the national event,'€ she said.

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