ROME, March 19 (silubaba) -- Moroccan runner Taoufik Allam won Sunday's Rome Marathon in two hours, seven minutes and 43 seconds, one of the fastest times ever recorded for the 28-year-old race.
Allam is the first Moroccan to win the 42.2-kilometer race through the Italian capital, and becomes just the fifth runner to win the title with a time faster than two hours and eight minutes.
The course record was set a year ago, when Ethiopia's Fikre Bekele won in two hours, six minutes and 48 seconds. Bekele did not return this year to defend his title.
Betty Chepkwony of Kenya won the women's event in two hours, 23 minutes and two seconds, the fastest time since Ethiopia's Alemu Megertu set the course record of 2:22:52 in 2019. Chepkwony's victory marked the 14th consecutive year the women's winner has hailed from either Kenya or Ethiopia.
Allam's triumph snapped a 17-year victory streak in the men's division for runners from those two countries.
The top Italian overall was Nekagenet Crippa, an Ethiopia-born runner now in the Italian Army, who finished sixth in two hours, 12 minutes and 11 seconds in his first full-length marathon.
Arianna Lutteri was the top Italian woman, finishing eighth in two hours, 47 minutes and nine seconds, one place ahead of compatriot Paola Salvatori.
Italy's Antonio Solano was the top masters runner (aged 40 or above), finishing in 2:36:19, good for 33rd place overall.
Maggie Hadley from Australia was the top female master, finishing in just under three hours with a time of 2:59:59 that was good enough for tenth place overall. ■
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