Gebrselassie in 'worst ever' marathon

Kenya's Michael Kipyego won the Tokyo Marathon yesterday, leaving the former world record holder Haile Gebrselassie floundering in fourth.

Kipyego, a former 3,000m steeplechase specialist, completed the course in two hours, seven minutes and 37 seconds in chilly conditions for his first marathon victory. Gebrselassie broke away from last year's winner, Hailu Mekonnen, with four miles to go but Kipyego powered past the Ethiopian late on. The result leaves Gebrselassie's Olympic hopes in doubt, after three other Ethiopians ran below 2:05 in the Dubai Marathon last month.

In Tokyo, Gebrselassie finished in a disappointing time of 2:08:17 after targeting a sub-2:05 run in order to boost his chances of securing a spot on the Ethiopia team for this summer's London Games. The 38-year-old, who is twice a 10,000m Olympic gold medallist, said: "I felt fantastic for the first 30km but then I had some problems at the end of the race. The last 5km was the worst I've ever run."