Tributes flow for London victors: Coaches united in praising Keitany and Wanjiru for win against battle-hardened Ethiopians.

Men's elite winner Kenya's Daniel Wanjiru poses after winning the men's elite race at the London marathon on April 23, 2017 in London. / AFP PHOTO / Adrian DENNIS

It was a do-or-die fight in the race the former colonial master had billed “unofficial Kenyan world championship trials”.

It did not disappoint as Kenya produced the 12th men’s London Marathon winner in the last 14 years and the 10th women’s winner at the 37th Virgin London Marathon yesterday.

Daniel Wanjiru, winner at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon last year, made a perfect breakthrough to the World Marathon Majors series race as Mary Keitany emerged the fourth woman to win the United Kingdom’s premier race three times after completing a hat-trick in New York City Marathon last year.

Keitany, who was born and bred in Kisok in Baringo County, improved her Africa marathon as she set a record of 2:17.01, the second-fastest time in history.

She improved her personal best of 2:18.37 set at 2012 London Marathon, which was an African marathon record.

That was 41 seconds quicker than four-time British Olympian Paula Radcliffe ran in winning the event in 2005.

David Leting, one of the national cross country and marathon coaches, said the world record is achievable.

“Her preparations looked 100 per cent. Imagine she broke away from the leading pack at two kilometres and went all through. I can say the graph of her shape picked at the right time and I am sure if it was Berlin, which is a flat course, the absolute world record would have gone down.

“Her move is just like that of David Rudisha (the two-time Olympic 800m champion) when he broke the world record in London Olympics. It’s not good for great shape to pick before the race. I am sure the world record is achievable,” said Leting, who guided Kenya’s historic 2010 world cross-country team in Poland.

He added: “Keitany’s splits reduced in the last 21km and there was need for a strong pace maker who could take her to 30km. She was within 2:15 in the initial 21km.”

That was not bad for Keitany, who started running while in Standard Four in 1996 at Kanjulul Primary School before moving to Kisok Primary School in Baringo County.

Douglas Wakiihuri, who was Kenya’s first man to win London Marathon in 1989, said he was grateful for the good show.

“Our athletes need to reduce the number of races they enter and go for quality training. I am sure we can do better,” he said.

Men’s winner Daniel Wanjiru sprung into limelight when he won Amsterdam Marathon last October beating seasoned athletes like Sammy Kitwara and three-time winner Wilson Chebet.

He set course record in Amsterdam of 2:05.21, coming after he finished seventh at the Frankfurt Marathon in 2015.

It was particularly sweet victory for Wanjiru, seven-placed at the 2014 Frankfurt Marathon, as he shaved three minutes off his best mark of 2:08.18 to set a new course record of 2:05.21, which stands out as his personal best –he ran 2:05.56 in London yesterday.

He erased three-time Amsterdam Marathon winner Wilson Chebet’s course record of 2:05.36 set in 2013.