April 15 (UPI) -- Hellen Obiri became the first woman to repeat as champion at the Boston Marathon in nearly two decades while Sisay Lemma denied Evans Chebet of a men's three-peat en route to his first victory Monday on Beacon Street.
Obiri's time of 2:22:37 was about a minute slower than her 2:21:38 from last year, but good enough to edge fellow Kenyans Sharon Lokedi (2:22:45) and Edna Kiplagat (2:23:21), who placed second and third, respectively.
"Sharon is a strong lady, so I tried to push," Obiri said on the ESPN broadcast. "I tried my best. ... I think Sharon gave me a tough competition."
Obiri, 34, became the first woman to repeat as champion since Kenyan Catherin Ndereba won in 2004 and 2005. The two-time Olympic silver medalist held a per-mile pace of 5:26 over the 26.2-mile course.
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Obiri previously won the 2023 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:27:23, in addition to her first Boston crown.
Emma Bates, 31, was the top American finisher in the women's event. She placed 12th in 2:27:14. Bates, an Elk River, Minn., native, previously finished as the runner-up in the 2021 Chicago Marathon.
On the men's side, Lemma clocked in at 2:06:17, the 10th-fastest time in Boston Marathon history. The 2021 London Marathon winner ran the first half of Monday's event at record pace, clocking a 60:19 over 13.1 miles. He averaged 4:49 per mile on the full course.
Lemma held on to beat fellow Ethiopian Mohamed Esa (2:06:58) by 41 seconds. Chebet, who won in 2022 and 2023, finished third with a time of 2:07:22.
C.J. Albertson, who placed seventh, was the top American finisher. The 30-year-old Fresno, Calif., native secured a time of 2:09:53.
