Do or Do Not: Sisay Lemma Finally gets his Boston Crown
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.
Until Monday, Sisay Lemma and the Boston Marathon didn’t get along. In three outings, the 33-year-old had once placed 30th and twice failed to reach the finish line altogether.
Those facts made his tactics all the more bizarre. You would be forgiven for thinking a man with that record in Boston would start the race more conservatively, but Lemma found himself alone at the front a little more than five kilometres in. He passed through the first 10km with a 25 second lead over his next closest competitor, running at sub-two hour pace and showing no signs of slowing. By the time he entered the final 10km, his lead had grown to almost three minutes, and it seemed as though he could walk to victory – which is kind of what he did. Lemma’s closing miles were slower than Obiri’s in the women’s race as he navigated the punishing hills at the backend of the course, but his early lead nevertheless proved insurmountable.
Mohamed Esa was the best of the rest, mounting a surprising kick to finish 41 seconds adrift of Lemma, while defending champion Evans Chebet claimed third for his fourth consecutive podium finish in a Marathon Major.
“I previously didn’t finish in this race, so I wanted redemption for that. That’s why I came,” explained Lemma after the race.
“The other reason I raced in Boston is because the course is similar to the Olympic one, so hopefully, this will be good preparation for the Paris Games.”
With the Olympics now just three months away, Lemma wasn’t the only one with France on his mind.
I wrote in the preview that if Chebet could win his third straight Boston title on Monday, it would surely force Athletics Kenya to reconsider him. He didn’t win, but he did make the podium and was still the fastest Kenyan on the day. So, what now?
No matter what the world thinks, the decision will come down to Athletics Kenya, who did not name him on their provisional squad. Chebet’s coach, Claudio Berrardelli, said that the main reason for his omission was that there were concerns about the Achilles injury that prevented him from starting in New York last November. While Chebet may not be back to his full strength, he’s clearly not injured anymore. He’s shown that he knows how to perform on hilly courses without pacers, and his consistency in the marathon is remarkable: since debuting in 2014, he has placed in the top four in every marathon he has finished.
Athletics Kenya’s shortlist contained five names: Eliud Kipchoge, Benson Kipruto, Alexander Mutiso, Timothy Kiplagat, and Vincent Ngetich. Kipchoge and Kipruto are obvious choices: the former is the greatest marathon runner of all time, while the latter has the remarkable habit of beating the former and is coming off a win at the Tokyo Marathon last month. The other three have less convincing cases. Unlike Chebet, none of them have ever won a World Major Marathon. Kiplagat is the only one with a quicker personal best, but it’s only by five seconds and he has no other honours to his name. Maybe Athletics Kenya knows something we don’t; regardless, all Chebet can do now is wait and hope that his federation at least considers him for the final spot.
The Ethiopian Olympic selection drama is just as exciting. Sisay Lemma put himself fourth on the all-time list when he won the Valencia Marathon in 2:01:48 last December, and his win in Boston on Monday has practically guaranteed his ticket to France. In the preview, I wondered why Lemma hadn’t elected to go to the flatter roads of London next weekend, but his coach, Gemedu Dedefo, answered that question in Boston. Dedefo also coaches Tamirat Tola, another Ethiopian looking for a spot on the Olympic team, and decided it best to split the two to maximise their chance of selection. Tola is a former marathon world champion and set a course record in New York last year, so a strong performance in London on Sunday would see both of Dedefo’s men line up in Paris.
Esa’s runner-up performance in Boston was totally unexpected, and it has certainly put him in the conversation for that third and final Ethiopian spot. The 23-year-old doesn’t have a long resume, but it does include a 2:05:05 debut and two World Marathon Major silver medals. Unfortunately for him, there are a host of Ethiopians who have run faster lining up in London on Sunday, and if just one of them can piece together a strong performance, they will likely fill that final spot. Still, at such a young age, Esa is definitely a name to remember.
Top 10
Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:016:17
Mohamed Esa (ETH) 2:06:58
Evans Chebet (KEN) 2:07:22
John Korir (KEN) 2:07:40
Albert Korir (KEN) 2:07:47
Isaac Mpofu (ZIM) 2:08:17
C.J. Albertson (USA) 2:09:53
Yuma Morii (JPN) 2:09:59
Cybrian Kotut (KEN) 2:10:29
Zouhair Talbi (MOR) 2:10:45
If you haven’t already, check out our report on the women’s race at the Boston Marathon.
You can access the full results from the 2024 Boston Marathon here.