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Ethiopia's Seifu Turi and Kenya's Chepng'etich win Chicago Marathon

Winners of the 2021 Bank of America Chicago Marathon Elite Women's Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich (R) and Elite Men's Ethiopia's Seifu Tura Abdiwak (L) pose for a picture on October   -  
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KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP or licensors

USA

Ethiopia's Seifu Tura won the men's title and reigning world champion Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya captured the women's crown in her US debut on Sunday at the 43rd Chicago Marathon.

The 26.2-mile event was canceled by Covid-19 last year but runners were back after 728 days on a flat course through the streets of the "Windy City" in warm and breezy conditions.

Tura, who didn't qualify for his homeland's Tokyo Olympic squad, pulled away late to take the victory in 2hrs 6mins 12secs with American Galen Rupp second, 23 seconds adrift, and Kenya's Eric Kiptanui third in 2:06:51.

Meanwhile, Kenya's Chepngetich, the world champion, comfortably won the women's race, finishing in 2:22:31.

Chepngetich, 27, set a world half-marathon record of 1:04:02 in April at Istanbul and her marathon best of 2:17:08 to win at Dubai in 2019 makes her the fourth-fastest woman in history at the distance.

Emma Bates and Sara Hall were a distant second and third for the United States.

Around 35,000 amateur runners also competed in Sunday’s 26.2-mile event.

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